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By giving every citizen a chance to donate to politicians, could we even the playing field of what issues politicians work to fix?
Lessig’s solution is to expand the fundraising base through small donor financing. His proposal is to give a $50 “democracy voucher” to every citizen to spend on the politician of their choice (on the proviso, they don’t also take big money). But several other proposals would work just as well, including this one, and this one, he says.
“The most important thing is to spread the recognition among ordinary people that this is a root cause to the inability of Congress to deal sensibly with a wide range of issues on the Left and Right,” he says. “When that becomes conventional wisdom, it will create an environment for someone to step forward and take advantage.”