Money is blamed for a host of ills, ranging from the hammerlock of special interests on policy-making in Washington to the public apathy that drives voter participation to record lows. But rarely is there a comparative perspective. Reformers are always saying that government intervention makes for better health care in Canada and Britain. Perhaps because, as the Kohl scandal shows, it doesn't. Germany's campaign finance laws are, in some respects, Common Cause's dream.
Political parties receive generous public financing.
It is illegal for politicians to buy ads on broadcast television or the radio, but TV networks are required to supply the parties with free airtime during campaigns. Campaigns in Germany are much briefer than here, and their tone is issue-oriented. The parties even have youth wings. Yet none of this prevented massive cheating by one of the country's two leading political parties. Germany's experience suggests that, as reform tools, public financing and free TV time are probably overrated.