This is the number one problem and has to be solved first.  If you don’t stop the corruption, then you might as well forget about solving anything else. You can call it campaign contributions or whatever you want. But it is corruption, because someone is paying someone to vote a certain way.

The politicians are like Lucy when she is caught blackmailing Ricky.  He says, “That’s blackmail.”  Lucy responds, “Let’s not call it that.”  Then Ricky says, “But that’s what it is.”  And Lucy responds, “I know but let’s not call it that.  

That is what politicians have said for years about all the money they raise – It’s not a bribe.” But call it whatever you want, it is what it is – a bribe.

Then a lobbyist who had given money to Teddy Roosevelt’s campaign later said, when Roosevelt didn’t vote the way they wanted him to, “we bought that son of a bitch but he wouldn’t stay bought.”

This is also why things don't get fixed properly.  For example, if the building had a leaky roof, rather than repair the roof, the politician's solution would be to give everyone a bucket because they have a campaign contributor who sells buckets.

THE SOLUTION: A simple law that states the following:

No government employee or candidate for office or their immediate family members (defined as spouses, parents, and children, natural or adopted) may take anything from any lobbyist, corporation or its employees who are A) Seeking to do any business with the government over which that government employee or candidate will have any control and B) Seeking the employee's or candidate's support for legislation which will be of benefit to said lobbyist, corporation or employee thereof. If it is later found that said government employee or family member did take anything, then that contract or legislation will be voided and the employee will be immediately fired with loss of retirement benefits and the corporation and its officers banned for ten years from bidding on any other government contracts.  This ban also applies to non-profit corporations under the ownership or control of any government employee or their immediate family members as defined above, who receive any compensation or benefit from said non-profit corporation.

As a condition of employment as a government employee, said employee and the above- named family members must submit a yearly statement of all of their assets.  This is to flag illegal payments to government employees or their immediate family members.