Bribery and money's power to corrupt are nothing new. Rather than focus on limiting campaign contributions, with all of its free speech considerations, a better approach is to hold our elected officials accountable.
Massive omnibus bills are passed by elected officials at all levels of government. Most of our representatives vote without even reading them. Pork slips in because it's easy to hide needles in a haystack. Our representatives cannot be held accountable with this aberration of lawmaking.
To hold our representatives accountable for their votes, bills should only have a single objective. All aspects of the bill should represent a coherent piece of legislation, and thus we'll know if our representatives voted for another bridge to nowhere or approved of corrupt policies like those offered by Jack Abramoff and other lobbyists.
It's time our representatives vote only after they have read and agree with a bill. It's time that citizens can read these bills rather than being scammed by hundred plus page bills that no voter or legislator reads. Only in this way can voters know how their representatives are doing and can use elections to ensure our voices are heard over back room whispers and the rustling of donated dollars.