Ask Mitt Romney about his overseas investments, his Swiss and Cayman Island bank accounts, and he will reply that everything he has is in a "blind trust."
Never mind that he could have instructed his investment overseers to avoid certain holdings in alcohol or tobacco-related stocks, as many Christian investors insist.
But Romney's frequent mention of "blind trust" got me to thinking. What if campaign contributions from lobbyists and high rollers were also placed in a blind trust, so that the candidate would never know to whom he or she should be beholden?
What if donating to a campaign, at any amount, did not guarantee access to the candidate, once elected? What if campaign contributions were meant only to buy votes, not buy elected officials?
This might have the effect of reducing campaign contributions overall, to the dismay of TV and radio stations, but the barrage of negative ads is wearing out my "mute" button.
Granted, there would be some implementation problems, given that corporations, like blastulas, gastrulas and neurulas — look it up —are treated as "persons" by the Republican Party. A party that is also fond of rape-begotten fetuses, but not fond of rape victims. But that is another story.
Super PAC leaders insist on anonymity of their donors. Let's go it one step further — anonymity of the political bosses themselves. It's not a perfect solution, for there would be nothing stopping them from whispering to their candidates, but then any of us could whisper that we were in charge of that Super PAC.
We could then cajole or threaten any elected official to see our side in any controversy, to vote our way on any issue. Not a totally ethical solution, but no less immoral than the current situation.
Private citizens might also apply the "blind trust" concept to repel telephone solicitations from unknown or shady charities.
"I'm sorry, but my charitable contributions are all tied up in a blind trust," they could say. "I don't know who is benefitting from my philanthropy." Everyone knows it's a better mitzvah when alms are given in secret.
Parents could also invoke "blind trust" when their children ask for an increase in their allowance, or an unlimited data plan for their cellphones.
In closing, I am surprised that no one has bemoaned the political incorrectness of the very phrase blind trust But then we all need to turn a deaf ear to the babbling attack ads — for a few more days.
Tim O'Toole is an Albany writer. His email address is www1ceman@earthlink.net.