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Ava asks: Please explain “special interest money” in this sentence: “By providing qualified candidates a way out of the chase for big special-interest money, such a program would make citizens the true stakeholders in our government.” And, what’s the exact meaning of the whole sentence? My comments: It means someone somewhere has created a program that helps elect the right people to public office. These people will no longer need to seek “special interest money” – that is, money provided by powerful groups such as the oil and arms industry – to fund their election campaigns. This, in turn, will make sure that when they’re elected, they’ll be able to look after public interests instead of formulating policies that are favorable just to those “special interest” groups that have paid for their running. When that happens, and only when that happens will you be able to say that citizens are “the true stakeholders in our government”, i.e. a government in the United States, Britain or any of the so-called democratic countries in the world. (In Chinese political parlance, it’ll be like saying that citizens, instead of being “the true stakeholders”, will become “the true masters” of the country.) Don’t be celebrating just yet, because it’s not happening. “Special interest money” still dominates elections, as it always has. And candidates, after they’re elected, will continue to repay those who help get them into office in the first place. | 
