Must be the Money

According to the article "Our view on campaign finance: Who's buying this election? Who knows?" USA Today claims that spending on congressional elections has increased greatly over the past couple of years and many of those compaigns misrepresented the politicians depicted. The authors appeal to those voting in the upcoming elections or those who might be swayed by campaigns seen in the mass media. To achieve this they strive to point out how this voting system is "transparent" and "exploits" candidates. The Editorial Board explains how through out history we have seen distortion of politician's lives through campaigns which could be compared to a "mud-slinging" tactic. The article goes on to explain how billions of dollars are predicted to be spent this year, and that many organizations are keeping their donors' names confidential. The article complains that the amount of money going into such secretive efforts is advocating people to lie, especially if that company or person has a grudge against a candidate. To demonstrate this fiasco, they used the Center for Responsive Politics which is both a credible and reliable source. To further this notion, they incorporated quotes from FactCheck.org, a non-partisan group.  The Editorial Board is clearly frustrated with Congress and all organizations partaking in the financing of campaigns.
Personally, I agree with the Editorial Board about the financing of campaigns. I feel the amount of money going towards these efforts is ridiculous. I also agree with their stance on it promoting deceit and misinformation. Many question the legitimacy of our government, yet we allow organizations to potentially manipulate elections. I believe there should be some type of regulation on how much is spent per donor. Moreover, I feel that companies should not be given the choice to donate because they reflect the interests of the company, not of the people. If Congress chooses to continuously ignore this issue, we may fall into a system of government that is further corrupted.

America the Brave?

     According to Paul Krugman author of, "China, Japan, America," Japan has confonted China in an effort to halt their manipulation of trade. Krugman explains how this is a typical characteristic of China that we have grown accustomed to because of our fear that they will cease to buy bonds (which Krugman says are not that essential.) By keeping their currency weak and creating a trade surplus, China  has negatively affected other nations. The U.S. has tried convincing China that a stronger currency would benefit them, but China has found a weak currency is actually good for some of their companies. Although they have tried to resolve this issue, the U.S. has been rather unsuccessful  because they are too intimidated, and assume that China will sabotage their companies and the dollar will fall. The irony of it Krugman says, is that it would actually help competition in our economy. I have heard a lot about China becoming the next economic superpower so it is interesting to read an article about some of the tactics they are using against countries. Because China's economy directly affects ours and our government, I think it is very important to stay informed with what they are doing.