Multiple attempts at campaign finance reform from Congress in the last 30 years, none with entirely 100% good faith intentions, have failed to address a major corrupting element in deciding federal campaigns. It has become common for Congressional candidates, especially long-term incumbents, to accept more campaign money from outside their state than from within. The increased sophistication in national party fund raising, along with the desires of too many of our long-term representatives to get re-elected by having more to spend on crucial television ads, has made this common place. The same sometimes is the case for statewide ballot initiatives. Why do we allow this?

We are further weakening the already near vacant citizen-legislator tradition that served our nation well for over 150 years. This latest trend puts in serious jeopardy our entire system of representative government when people not from a Congressional district can be "the" deciding factor in who represents you in Congress. Which people do our representatives in the "Peoples House" or Senate really represent?

We don't require hundreds of lines of campaign finance reform verbiage in yet another bill from Congress that merely nibbles around the edges of the problem. Just a few sentences are necessary.

Section I, No national, state, regional or local political party nominee, a person requesting
acceptance or accepted to be placed on a ballot for the position of member of the U.S. House
of Representatives or U.S. Senate, shall accept monetary campaign contributions or other
support contributions from any person or other entity not residing in their state or having
a primary place of business within their state employing 1 or more persons.
Section II, A person, company, or other entity shall not contribute monetary or other
support contributions to a state-wide ballot initiative if said person, company, or other
entity does not reside in the state voting on the ballot initiative.

This will create better campaigns which require more time spent by the candidates in their district or state in front of the people they are suppose to represent. Then we will be closer to our representative governing tradition!


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