The role of big money in American politics should make the most cynical lawmaker blush and the average citizen furious. Politics has become an arms race, with special-interest money taking on the role of missiles. Every two years, campaign costs skyrocket. Average voters are shut out as effectively as if Congress had passed a new poll tax, charging them for the right to vote. Many good people decide not to enter politics, because they are intimidated and disgusted by the need to raise huge campaign war chests or simply don't have the connections to do so.