This spring our mailbox and telephone have been busy imploring us to send money to support Mr. / Ms. XYZ in his/her race for the US Senate/Congress/State Senate/House of Delegates/County Board of Supervisors in 2011 or 2012 or 2014, whenever. Some appeals are accompanied by literature disclosing the absolutely scurrilous evil deeds or plans of the opposing candidate and/or party. The real message these communications send is that money wins elections – read: government is for sale – and that each party energizes its supporters by telling them that the other party is evil and wrong-headed. Thus neither party can later agree to anything the other proposes, a formula for government gridlock.

As another result, sitting officials are forced to take time off from their jobs and hit the road, drumming up money for the next election. In doing so they adopt positions favored by potential big donors. The voice of the average citizen is drowned out, and so is democracy.

Twenty-five years ago, when Purple was in the federal government, it wasn't this way. We had a consistent bipartisan foreign policy, centered on containing the Soviet Union. In Purple's area, international trade, companies and unions were often on opposite sides. Despite that, we managed to obtain bipartisan Congressional support for a US - Canada Free Trade Agreement (later succeeded by NAFTA), the Uruguay Round of international trade talks leading to the current World Trade Organization, and significant reductions in tariffs and other trade barriers.

Sure, we disagreed on specifics, but civilly, and we compromised. All this leads up to today's apparent inability of Americans, citizens as well as elected officials, to come together to solve the complex problems our nation now faces, among them:

• Fiscal deficits, debt and unemployment
• The growing cost of health care and social security
• Global warming, climate disruption and energy policy
• Wars, and relations with Islamic peoples and governments
• Lagging US international competitiveness and trade deficits
• Education, from cradle to retirement

Thoughtful readers will recognize that these subjects are interconnected. For example, fiscal deficits are impacted by whatever policies are adopted – or not adopted - in each of the other five problem areas. In such a complex and threatening environment we desperately need dialog (listening as well as speaking), civility, and a willingness to compromise and focus on the nation's future rather than Party wish lists.

Sadly, the huge amounts of money flowing into the impending campaigns is coming heavily from those with special financial interests, or ideologies resting at the outer extremes of general thinking. Little is coming from those imploring politicians to consult and compromise in the interest of their grandchildren.

So elections are being bought by moneyed interests, with candidates elected beholden to them, perpetuating the nasty food fight that passes for government in Washington.

Absent public financing of elections, improvement will be difficult. It is hard to see how reform can be realized while those who benefit from the current situation remain in control.

But citizens do have a small lever, the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP). Their website contains up to the minute tabulations of past and present political giving to candidates running in any Virginia election, totaled by individual, and summarized by industry. As an example, VPAP reports that in the 2009 Virginia gubernatorial election Bob McDonnell (R) outspent Cree Deeds (D) $23.8 million to $13.7 million, and won by a similar margin.

The largest industry contributor to McDonnell's campaign fund was Energy and Natural Resources (Principal subcategories: Coal and Electric Utilities). Second was Construction and Real Estate. McDonnell won, Dominion remains powerful, and we are threatened with a new developer-friendly Outer Beltway. Q.E.D.

Elections and public policy follow the money.