At 11:04 AM 12/17/95 -0800, you wrote:
It occurs to me that it would be a major advance if a system could be set up that would "blind" campaign donations as to their source: The donor could be satisfied that his donation gets to the candidate or cause, but the candidate couldn't know who actually paid the money (and the donor would be unable to prove that he made a donation, for example). Admittedly there are a lot of details that need to be worked out, but if this could be accomplished it would change politics as we know it.
I think you would see alot less donations by the corporate powers that be and the favormongers. (Which is why such a system will probibly never come into existance.) It would be a good step in the right direction. However... I live in a state which just inacted a series of campaign reforms. The first thing the lobbyists did was find a way to exploit every loophole possible to get around that legislation. Such a system would have to be pretty tight and pretty specific. (And therefore will be fought against by almost every politician ansd lobbyiest on the planet.) The fundraising dinners will certainly have to go...
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