I Will Vote In the 2008 Presidential Election - Forum & Chat Board | trivia buys campaign money???

Well I guess I'm one of the few billion people who can't vote in your American election but will be inevitably affected by the result. [Please consider that when you vote....please??] I hate the fact that in so-called democracies [my country included] campaign funding is virtually unlimited; ie; u have more money and influence: u get more votes. Surely this method means the parties supported by big business are much more likely to get elected??? I'm a supporter of full declaration of campaign donations and a limit on the amount spent by each candidate/party. Do you have anything like this in America?

And, by the way, if I could vote, I would vote for the candidate whose presence in the office would, in the long-term, reduce poverty and the amount of conflicts and wars in the world. Can't say who, because I haven't studied your candidates in detail.

According to Bloomberg.com-"Candidates for president and vice president aren't required to release their tax returns, which by law are confidential. Most have chosen to do so since the early 1970s, and their public disclosure has been an issue in this campaign. "

I just read a report on Bloomberg about the income disclosures of the top 3 candidates. (Governor Palin had not released her information) It had to do with the amount of charitable donations they made, which is why that info is there.

"Republican presidential nominee John McCain’s tax returns show he had an adjusted gross income of $386,527 last year and had charitable givings of $105,467, or 27.3 percent of income. His wife Cindy files separately.

His Democratic rival Barack Obama had $4.13 million in income in 2007 and gave $240,370, or 5.8 percent"

There are limits on the amount a person/corporation may donate as well. A candidate may opt to accept money from the federal governnemt, which Senator McCain did and Senetor Obama did not. For this reason, Senator Obama must rely on fundraisers to bankroll his campaign, which can be a double edged sword.