A certainty concerning campaign funding that exists is the major contributions are made with the intent of influencing any party's voting concerning proposed legislation concerning the contributors' best interests. That is political corruption and it is doubtful that any American doesn't believe it exists.

How can it be corrected? How can we possibly remove a system of contributing which corrupts politicians, assuming that the politicians weren't corrupt before being voted to office?

How extensive is the problem? Corrections must be directed to assuring that future corruption is not possible. Therefore, we must first determine the extent of the problem. Until a problem is fully realized, any corrective measures would only scratch the surface, sort of treat the symptoms, not the disease.

There is only one way to determine the extent of the problem, to start rooting out the diseased tissue that exists in our political system. We must treat corruption as a cancer and investigate every level of our system of government until all cancerous tissue is removed and disposed of.

What we must do is demand every politician, every contributor favoring either party , every bit of legislation be fully investigated as to favoring a contributor rather than the American public.

Our government, due to Republican pressure, has now spent (at last count) over $30,000,000 (30 million dollars) investigating a matter of which there has never been one iota of evidance of any wrong-doing by the President. Yes, Whitewater.

The investgation goes on and on and on so either the investigative team is imcompetent or there is not, nor has there ever been, a case against the President.

That is our tax money at work??, money spent pursuing what does not exist. We, however, know that corruption abounds. Shouldn't we spent at least as much correcting and ridding our nation of political corruption?

Campaign funding will always be a problem and the foundation of the problem is Washington politicians don't really want to correct the problem; they simply want to use it for their own political or party gain.

Why should politicians with all the perks and the like, people who are part of a system which creates wealth for them, want to change the system?

Therefore, you will never hear a politician demand a complete investigation of the extent of political corruption. Added to this is the high probability, if the politician has been around for awhile, that he has received, or is receiving, benefits through major contributors. A complete investigation would reveal this.

A complete investigation would also reveal both parties have voted in favor of legislation that benefits each party's major contributors. Of that, the writer hasn't any doubt at all. Logically, no business spends huge amounts of money without any self-serving interests in mind.

Even huge donations given which appear to be for altruistic reasons are deductable. But, it sure looks good in the headlines or sounds good in the news reporting. Thus, image is always a consideration.

Likewise, businesses do not contribute huge amounts to political parties without expecting to receive something in return. If this were not true, we would not have a corrupt system. We would not hear phrases such as those alluding to politicians being corrupt. We would not hear power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

We hear such phrases because power is based on money and the creed which is ultimately the basis for the behaviors of politicians. Politicians gain in power, money, because they behave as major contributors want them to behave. I.e., money buys them, lock, stock and barrel.

Political support would be negligible if politicians the contributions are aimed at behaved otherwise. Contributors support those that will, or do, act in their best interests, even if those interests conflict with the best interests of the people.

The jist of this is the People must demand the system, every person, every contributor, and associated legislation, be fully investigated. Then, perhaps, we can take measures to remove corruption from our political system.

If we aren't willing to do this, then we must, even those of us who find corruption in our political system most distasteful, accept that we approve of corruption, that our involvement, including voting by nearly half of the qualified voters, is just too much for us.

We must accept that with every election in favor of corrupted politicians, that we have cast our votes (or not cast since a no-vote is a vote for the winner) for corruption and accept it as the norm.

If we can't get involved, then the system will stay as it is and the new age, the Millennium, will be nothing more than a continuation of the past.

The rut of corruption will be deeper and more strongly fortified with change becoming less and less likely until we once again, as in the distant past, have the rulers and the ruled.

It's the same as keeping a mad dog that bites the hand (yours) feeding it. Keep it and keep getting bitten. Or, get rid of it and not be bitten anymore.

It's up to you, Ladies and Gentlemen. You, the people of this nation, have the power at this time. But, that may not always be so.