Campaign Contributions

Some people think their political positions should remain personal. But, what about political contributions? That information is more easily accessible than you might think. So, how do you get that information, and what is it good for?

The information is on the Internet and you can go to various sites including one called fundrace.org. On it you can type in a zip code and see, who in your neighborhood, is contributing to either presidential candidate. If that's not enough, you can see how much their giving and exactly where they live. Although some may see it as an invasion of privacy. The purpose is to hold individuals and political candidates accountable for their actions. Professor of political science at Auburn University says, "it's perfectly legal...and it ensures there is no coincidence in excessive contributions between sources of campaign funds and voting records, votes that did not seem to be in the interest of the district."

So far, President Bush has raised more than 170-million dollars in campaign funds, while Democratic hopefully John Kerry has raised far less at 42-million.

Publishing campaign contributions dates back to 1974, but with the accessibility of the Internet, getting that information has become much easier.

For presidential campaigns individuals can only donate 2 thousand dollars per election. Primary's and general elections are counted separately. Individuals can also donate up to 5 thousand dollars to any political action committee.

To find out more on contributions made check out the federal election committee's website at www.fec.gov