RE: Introduction Questions

[Laura Castro <wos794@aol.com>]

I am concerned that the current system is destroying the faith of young people in government.  I think today's generation, more than any other, views elected officials primarily as "snake oil" salesmen and women.  They may not know who their representatives are in Congress, state legislature, or local government, but they do know that those officials are raising and spending a lot of money and suspect that those officials are heavily influenced by contributors.  Given this, why would young people ever want to even consider running for office?  In the future, we may not only be pricing people out of office; we may be turning them off regardless of price.

I am also concerned about the opportunity cost of campaign finance.  President Clinton raised $25 million last year in one night.  What did that buy?  Uninforming advertisements that no one wants to see or hear and fundraisers that the vast majority of Americans will not attend or otherwise participate in.  But, just imagine what that $25 million could have bought if it had been contributed to nonprofit organizations or schools!  The current system simply wastes money.