On Current Campaign
Finance Practices

While in many ways I wish laws limiting campaign funds by candidates would pass in an effective way, the courts have persistently ruled that spending money to inform the public is an aspect of free speech. All the energy being spent on the current campaign finance reform bills will be wasted, as the ACLU will likely mount a good challenge shortly after the laws are on the books.

Thus, the courts have established that it is the right of the people to bribe their politicians. I would suggest that it should also be the right of the people to know who has bribed who, and how much.

To me, when I see glitzy adds which do not speak to the issues, when I see balloons and bunting, when I see politicians in fancy suits stepping out of limos to attend luxurious fund raising events, I am seeing bribery. Special interest money is being spent in such a way as to collect votes. Money is being exchanged for power, which is used to return favors to those who gave the money. I am seeing politicians who put form ahead of substance, and who are essentially corrupt.

So long as the courts continue to hold that citizens have the right to bribe politicians, the government cannot be improved save by public contempt for those who accept these bribes. The least the government can do is keep the public informed, call a spade a spade, and provide complete information on who is bribing who.