A new article came out today referencing the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Caperton v. Massey Coal Co. In the Charlotte News and Observer, Chase Foster of North Carolina Voters for Clean Elections believes the notions underlying the ruling in this case should be applied to state legislatures as well."If due process was compromised in the Caperton case, is not democratic process compromised each and every day by the millions of dollars elected officials raise from what is, generally speaking, a narrow group of donors?"Whether in the court house or the state house, in a race for city council or president, fundraising from special-interest groups and wealthy donors undermines public confidence in our system of self-government. As long as our leaders are raising so much money from a small and narrow percentage of the electorate, we will not have the system of government we need or deserve."The logic of the Caperton decision leads to one conclusion: An alternative, publicly supported way of financing campaigns is needed to maintain confidence in our democratic system."