WASHINGTON -- In the age of super PACs and K Street fundraisers, the hunt for grassroots donors, those giving small sums, has become less and less important on Capitol Hill. Rep. John Sarbanes (D-Md.) is trying to reverse that trend by turning his own campaign into an experiment.

Electronic screens show the price of Facebook shares after they began trading Friday, May 18, 2012 in New York. The social media company priced its IPO on Thursday at $38 per share, and beginning Friday regular investors will have a chance to buy shares.

A year ago I wrote a column about Mickey Rooney and how a member of his family had robbed him of his life savings. In his statement before the U.S. Senate Aging Committee, the 91-year-old movie actor gave heart-rending testimony about how this experience makes a person feel.