The common excuse for the corruption is the cost of campaigning, specifically television ads.The obvious answer: public financing of political campaigns.
But how? Actually, I think we have a model:
C-Span. I propose two new channels, supported by cable networks as C-Span is.
- E-PAN: Election Public Access Network. Nothing...and I mean NOTHING...but official ads released directly by the candidates' campaigns.
- B-PAN: Bullshit Public Access Network: Nothing...and I mean NOTHING...but third party advocacy ads. These ads would be paid for as they are today
The names are open to negotiation, of course. Get all the politics in a single spot (or two) where they can be found by interested parties. You know the official position of the candidates immediately. Free speech is totally maintained. Best of all, I'd guess most sane people woud skip B-PAN entirely.
