The health of our democracy in Wisconsin is threatened by a campaign finance system that is desperately in need of an overhaul. Wisconsinites, who could once take pride in their state as a shining example of clean government, are now unable to open a newspaper without reading about scandals, investigations, trials and convictions, all involving misconduct in campaign financing.

Unfortunately, candidates interested in holding public office have little choice but to walk an awfully fuzzy line in order to remain competitive. They are always free to take the high road and refuse special interest contributions; however, unless they have the wealth to fund their own campaigns, they are often rewarded by being outspent by competitors willing to open their pockets to the almost endless supply of special interest money.

In order to clean up Wisconsin state politics, we need to remove both the supply of special interest money as well as the demand for it. Wisconsin’s public financing system is completely under funded. Public financing of elections hasn't been adjusted for inflation in twenty years. This lack of public financing has lead to much greater incumbent advantage. The percent of legislative races that lack opposition has risen from 14% in 1982 to 49% in 2002.

A properly functioning public finance system will increase competition in elections as well as remove the need to accept special interest contributions. Strict ethics laws and enforcement of them are also needed to restore public confidence in the integrity of the Wisconsin legislature.