Tuning in during the interview with Economist Jeffrey Sachs, I thought he was right on in articulating what 90% of Americans feel about our democracy being pulled way off course. We are disgusted with the control money has on our democracy. When I was young, people were offended that dejays took money for playing songs, and we called the scandal 'payola.' A decade later when we were federal regulators and policy managers, we were forbidden to take a pack or gum or a ride in a federal car for fear people would think we were not objectively carrying out our federal duties. A decade later, when I served on a global board of directors we had to recuse ourselves from any vote that we had a vested interest in. Now our congressional representatives or senators or presidents take money from special groups and distort their objectivity by doing so. Why not just pass a law that no congressional representative or senator can cast a vote on an issue of direct interest to any person or group that contributed to their campaign? That would 'objectify' the fundraising immensely!Itmakes sense to keep money out of the decision process, since every other body does it routinely.
H S Cooke