by Respectfully - Supposn

Created on: April 19, 2009   Last Updated: April 20, 2009

Genuine needs for political funding (rather than anyone's greed or lobbyists) are the greatest challenge to the integrity of our elected officials. Political funding is necessary to run a campaign for party nominations and for the offices themselves. From the date elected, officials must strive to raise funds for their re-election. During elected officials' first term, almost their entire time and effort is directly or indirectly devoted to raising funds for their re-election or run for higher office or for the party. This task may be reduced after each succeeding term within the same office but usually officials just acquire more staff and are urged to raise greater amounts of funds.

Even if worthy elected officials were resigned not to be re-elected, they still need the assistance of other elected officials to achieve any political goals. As a practical matter, politicians grant greater consideration to those they can turn to for assistance. An office holder that will not be re-elected, will be of little future assistance.

[Our general experiences within states or local governments indicate that term limits provide continuously renewed crops of inexperienced legislators and administrators. I believe this has increased faulty governing rather than less or better governing].

An environment of robust and accessible exchange of concepts and information among the general populous and between the populous and those who wield all levels of power and influence is challenging to tyranny and vital to democracy. The Internet has reduced the sizes and increased the numbers of media entities. It has somewhat loosened giant mass media entities' chock holds upon the distribution of information, ideas and opinions. Anything our congresses and Presidents do to maintain and extend Internet neutrality would be supportive to the democracy and integrity of our government.

Elected officials have been slow to utilize their web sites for decreasing their need for political funding. By utilizing links within or beyond an official's site, visitors can be directed to as much or as little information that they request. Site visitors may request and be served any level from posters and bumper sticker slogans to the most technically and intellectually challenging detailed information

Site visitors, (the ideal audience for what they seek), can be served information and opinions that are directly related to their requests. They can also be sent applicable updated information at later dates. Expensive mass media can not better serve them. The expenses for such sites are reasonable. Technicians can be induced to contribute their services to further reduce expenses. To the extent that an official's constituents have access to computers and can be induced to visit the web site, elected officials improve and reduce their cost of reaching voters. They have effectively reduced their need for political funding.

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