Only a very small percentage of Americans contribute money to political campaigns. For example, only one percent of the population provided 1992 congressional candidates with 77 percent of their money. Most campaign money is donated by special interest groups such as large corporations, by political action committees, or by wealthy individuals.

Campaign finance reform has become an important issue, particularly as we near the year 2000 Presidential election. Reformists call for public disclosure, but this alone will not solve the problem. It is, however, a step in the right direction. Says Fortune Magazine columnist Jeffrey Birnbaum: "...money in politics is like water: it will always fin

Jezer, Marty. (1996, August 1). Money in elections: Who Gives, Who Gets, and Why the Public Gets Ripped Off. The World & I, p. 288.

d its way around the dams you put up, and it's the reason why so many people are turned off from politics" (News Bytes, 2000).

The traditional ways to spend campaign funds involve paying salaries to staff members and purchasing television advertising. But many politicians use the money instead on various means of enhancing their images and advancing their careers.

Rankin, Bill. (1999, May 19). Judges Question Campaign Finances Suit; Ex-Candidate Claims Rich Are Given Advantage. The Atlanta Constitution, p. B3.

The bottom line, as demonstrated by these examples, is that the amount of campaign contributions given to elected officials by special interest groups should not be the basis for legislative decisions. Those decisions should instead be based on merit.

Kiely, Eugene. (1991, December 22). Campaign Gifts End Up in Odd Places. The Record, p. A01.

The Federal Election Commission says it doesn't have the manpower to audit spending reports completed by members of Congress running for office. Mistakes and questionable expenses, therefore, sometimes slip through the cracks. Ellen Miller, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, says it is often difficult to distinguish legitimate from illegitimate spending (Kiely). Reports candidates must fill out explaining how they spent campaign money are hard to decipher, partly because spaces allotted for explanations are small, and candidates handwrite their explanations, often with illegible handwriting.

Author Not Available. (2000, March 10). Stump Issues: Money Politics... Christian Science Monitor.

Groups lobbying for reform call for limits on the (often obscene) amounts of money spent on political campaigns. Democratic elections, they say, should create a financially level playing field for all candidates, regardless of personal wealth or number of wealthy friends and business contacts. The hold that rich special interest groups have over both elections and legislation should be broken--public office should not be backed by private money, and political opportunity should be available to anyone.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Jeffrey Birnbaum, Bennett R-Utah, Democrats Republicans, Sr Gore, Nor Republicans, Roe D-NJ, Al Gore, OH Jezer, Science Monitor, Common Cause, campaign finance, campaign contributions, campaign finance reform, money spent, finance reform, al gore, jezer 1996, soft money, political campaigns, campaign money, campaign spending, christian science monitor, president al gore, author available 2000, money spent political,
Approximate Word count = 2214
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)