AMERICAN NOTES: The Krakowski Formula

The ruinously high cost of running for political office in the U.S. tends to sabotage the democratic process. Polish-born Mathematician Martin Krakowski, a private consultant in Washington, has an idea that might not and exorbitant campaign spending but would at least keep every candidate nervously honest.

According to the Krakowski formula, every paid political advertisement on TV or radio or in print would have to be accompanied by a report of how much the ad cost and how much the candidate had spent to date on political spiels. Thus: "The following announcement was...

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