Campaign reform is essential to avoid a government run by, and for, special interests, and ensure that public officials focus and act in the public and national interests. Demand legislation to:
(1) Ban any and all gifts or campaign contributions above $500 to any elected official, candidate and political party or related entity from any individual, and from any and all other entities, including PACs (all funding sources would be considered a single unit regardless of type or membership numbers) with all donors and amounts of their contribution required to be publicly disclosed;
(2) Provide equal public financing to qualified candidates and/or incumbents commensurate with the office sought financed by Federal, State and City income tax surcharges;
(3) Cap campaign spending, and limit the campaign season to two or three months;
(4) Mandate the return to the respective government funding source of all campaign financing not legitimately or appropriately spent;
(5) Require, as a condition of all public air wave length licensing, that TV and Radio stations allocate a minimum of two broadcasted debates, appropriate to their respective office, to all officially qualified candidates (under time length, frequency and procedure standards set by an independent, bipartisan Congressional Campaign Reform Committee);
(6) Disqualify any candidate, and impose severe criminal and civil penalties for non-compliance on donors and/or recipients, including reimbursement of all public campaign funding;
(7) Extend the terms of members of the House of Representatives, from two to four years, to free them from continuous re-election campaigning and fund raising so they can concentrate on governing in the public interest;
(8) Institute mandatory voting with substantial fines and/or community service penalties for non-compliance.
Alternative: In the event banning or limiting campaign contributions is unconstitutional, as many of the above recommendations that are legally permissible should be enacted into law, including a requirement that any and all individuals, businesses, unions, non-profits, special interest groups, PACs, any other organizations and NGOs:
(a) Publicly disclose (including notification of their stockholders or members) any and all contributions to political campaigns, political parties, PACs, other political funding entities and special interest organizations, together with any and all lobbying expenditures to any entity;
(b) Divulge the name of each contributor along with the amount of his contribution; and
(c) Impose substantial civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance.