I, also, am astonished by the low cost of elected officials. When I read a list like this it makes me scratch my head. Aren't there millionaire/billionaire folks out there that would drive up this price? I seem to be told that George Soros is interested in controlling the US political system and I am sure he could beat these bids without breaking a sweat.

On a more serious note, Joe, could you please dive deeper into this situation. On rail transit where it is corporations vs. the citizens who live near train tracks it makes sense that something from the corporations is better than nothing from the citizens but I had heard that in the pharmaceutical debate Krysten Sinema sold her vote for 50k but there were deep pockets on both sides in that fight. Why didn't she hold out for more?

I guess I am interested in how the market for votes works if you have Occidental shelling out millions to umbrella PACs but Norfolk paying the equivalent of a country club fee directly. Are there campaign finance restrictions? How do these donations mesh with the Lobbying industry? Ultimately, how do citizens figure out how to participate, if that is the game being played? There is money out there in the small donation world, does it all come down to a lack of organization and/or access?