Am I naive but why can't we change campaign practices? Why can't a monetary limit be set on campaigns -- not just on the candidates' campaigns but also on any group in support of the candidate. (It would limit smears like the Swift Boat shenanigans too!)

The bright idea this week of no more gifts for congress is laughable. But that is not the real problem. Politicians need money to run for office.In the day of TV ads it is expensive to campaign. Something our founders had no idea would happen or perhaps they would have written something into the constitution addressing campaign practices and money. Who would have thought running for office would cost so much??!! Of course, politicians are taking money, gifts, trips...they have to have money for their campaigns. It is survival. So, let's limit the cost of campaigns.

While we limit the TOTAL amount of money spent on a campaign let's limit the length of a campaign. Come on, how long does it take to decide who you are voting for??? No campaigning until six weeks before the election. Have some meaningful televised debates, get the literature out, hit the phone banks...but only for six weeks. Do we really enjoy the full year of campaigning a year before the presidential elections? Six weeks for a primary. Six weeks for an election. Any election: mayor, congress member, president...

It would save lots of money. Politicians would not have to be funded by businesses and special interest groups. They could actually spend their time working for THE PEOPLE and legislating. What a concept!