Georgia Makes Case for Public Funding of Elections

Senator Cecil Staton, who seldom comes up with an idea I don't oppose, has hit a new low, if that is possible, with SB179, a bill that would allow utility companies in Georgia to contribute directly to political candidates, with the exception of the PSC race. That's just what we need. (You do recall Pipe-gate, don't you? The proposal to have tax payers foot the bill for natural gas pipeline across the state to the tune of, what was it 30 million. Yep, we need legislators thinking about their campaign accounts when considering that kind of bill.)

This points out why when I heard John Edwards propose that elections should be publicly funded, it made so much sense. It does not de-democratize the system. What it would do is level the playing field so that those who have money and those who do not both have greater access to the political process.