10 ways to stop elections from being spending contests
In the US the midterm election spending is crazy. There are candidates spending $100m for senate seats. Whoever provides this money expects and usually receives what they want in return. It makes a sordid business even worse.
1. Require them to have a job before running for office
This will have them pay tax instead of simply draw salary from tax, and hopefully have some respect for regular people.
2. Put 15% of last year’s real job earnings toward the campaign
3. Term limits so that a political job is not a career
4. Outlaw campaigning until 2 weeks before the election
This should prevent politicians from beginning the reelection campaign on the first day in office. They should just do a good job, and that will be their campaign.
5. Outlaw mail campaigns
6. Outlaw road signs
7. Have a shared website for all candidates to post their views and receive comments
8. Force candidates to publicly disclose exactly how they are spending all the money
This way you would know how much of their campaign goes towards negative ads, Facebook, trend research, etc.
9. Crack down on kick back schemes like book deals, and $250,000 speaking engagements
It is crazy when politicians leave office and suddenly they have tens of millions of dollars. Where did that all come from? They were supposed to be public servants.
10. Force them to spend the day working as somebody whose lives they will affect.
For example, when talking about teachers, you should have to work as a teacher for a week to get some idea of what they put up with. When you were talking about shutting down an oil pipeline, you should spend a week with the people that work on it.
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