Forum Post: Some Crazy Policy Ideas

-here's a little 10-minute essay I wrote for a recent class, asking us to draft a fake policy that we would pursue if President. Keep in mind, this is hardly a hashed out idea, but I'd like to see what you guys think.-

My policy would be called the Political Legitimacy bill. It would eliminate all Pac and Super Pacs in the United States, and instead combine all such functions into one overriding, nonpartisan federal agency, called the Political Action System of Transparency (PAST), which would partner with the FEC, and would act as a conduit between political contributions and their desired political campaigns. Although it would not prohibit corporate contributions, it would require 100% transparency for all political campaigns- every dollar spent by a candidate must be recorded and accounted for, and no anonymous donors would be permitted. Failure to comply with this by a candidate will result in disqualification from the ballot, and efforts by outside parties to independently finance the campaigns will be met with steep, crippling fines. The logic behind this is simple- secrets create corruption. Politicians are not allowed funding secrets. The moment they step into office, their tax records and financing is put under a microscope, and refusal to disclose such information is taken in bad faith by the public. If a corporation desires anonymity, then they are probably financing their contributions in an illegal or unsavory manner, or they represent a business that the general public does not approve of. Politicians are defined by their contributions, and it is a reasonable expectation that voters are given an adequate definition of the people representing them. This will also create a policy of “Legitimate Fiscal Concern” with regards to political campaign donations; 1/3rd of all donations will be taken and given to the general discretionary funds of the local, state, or federal government level in which the election takes place. The United States has a legitimate revenue problem, where large corporations are using donations to buy political supporters that will ensure federal subsidies. Over time, this practice, and those like it, create a fiscal environment that funnels taxpayer money away from the average citizen, and gives it to foreign companies. In 2008, the Presidential candidates raised $1.6 billion dollars alone. Under this concept, roughly $530 million dollars would be returned to the people to assist in paying for infrastructure, education, and social welfare. Pay-to-play subsidies have allowed corporations to bleed our government dry, and they have held our government hostage with demands for tax breaks, despite record profits. It is time we held corporations to the same standard of fairness that they hold their customers- if you break it, you buy it. If these corporations and banks wish to own the United States, then they must prove they are genuinely concerned with the American people, and not just with the associated benefits that their contributions may bring.