One Small Step for Americans with Long Leaps to Go.

Posted: Mon, Jan. 9, 2012, 10:05 AM

High court backs foreign campaign contribution ban

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal seeking to expand the ability of foreigners to contribute to American political campaigns.

The justices on Monday upheld a federal court ruling in favor of the ban on foreign contributions from all but immigrants who permanently live in the United States.

Washington lawyer Michael Carvin wanted the justices to extend their 2010 decision in the Citizens United case allowing greater political participation by corporations and labor unions. Carvin sued on behalf of two people with visas to work in the United States.

A three-judge court in Washington said Congress was well within its powers when it prohibited most foreigners from making campaign contributions.

Today’s Bobservation:

We’ve got to get the big money out of our political campaigns and this is a step in the right direction. I propose going much, much farther though. If I could write the law there would be no contributions by corporations, unions, PACs, non-profits, any other special interest or special interest front groups.  While lobbyists could continue to work, their influence would diminish considerably due to an inability to “buy” favors. 

The campaign finance story is staggering in its depth and mystifying in the fact that so few want to change it when it is so obvious that our elections and elected officials are in many cases being bought by the highest bidder. This nation’s government does not represent the people who trudge off to the voting booths every November.  The government represents those who spent enough money to buy access to key officials so they can privately convince them how to vote “correctly” if they want campaign money to continue to flow to them. That is hardly government that represents the people, it is government that represents the influential.

From the publication Open Secrets (http://www.opensecrets.org/news/2009/06/will-12-million-a-day-convince.html)

  • “As an industry pharmaceutical and health products has long been the top dog on K Street. Since 1998, the industry has spent more than $1.6 billion on federal lobbying. Last year alone, it spent more than $234 million — a sum that translates into roughly $125,000 every hour that Congress was actually in session.”
  • Overall, the U. S. Chamber of Commerce maintained spent $14.4 million to increase its 2011 lobbying expenditures to more than $46.2 million.
  • The nation’s largest labor union, the AFL-CIO, for example, has given federal candidates, parties and committees $17.4 million since the 1990 election cycle, 96 percent of which has gone to Democrats. The group has spent $36 million in that time, however, on independent expenditures (ads that expressly advocate the election of a specific candidate but that are not in coordination with that candidate).  And this is just he AFL-CIO…it doesn’t include the teamsters, IBEW, and dozens of other major unions.

If you want more, detailed information on how much money is spent to influence the people who are supposed to be representing your interests click on this site. http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/index.php  

Here’s what I would do to end this corrupt and corrupting behavior:

  1. Eliminate campaign contributions of any kind from corporations, organized labor, Political Action Committees (PACS) or any other special interest group including not-for-profit organizations like the U.S. Chamber, the Red Cross, or the United Way.
  2. I would only allow contributions from registered voters and no contribution could exceed $150 per voter per election period. Send it all to one person or spread it out over many but total only $150.  Public financing is another consideration.   I would also:
  • Shorten campaign periods
  • Eliminate “Soft” money (phone banks, people to make calls, pizzas etc)
  • Require that debates follow strict National Forensic League (NFL) debate rules (read more about the NFL http://www.nflonline.org/AboutNFL/YearbyYear )
  • Require that debates be non-sponsored events on public broadcasting,
  • No paid advertising.  Candidates would have to depend on “Free” standard news media coverage.  If you’ve got a good idea you’ll make news…if not..
  • Disallow wealthy people from spending their own money on campaigns (they, too, would have to depend on the $150 contributions)
  • Require that office holders (and their staffs) running for re-election forgo the pay and other perks of their office while campaigning. 
  • Eliminate the congressional franking privilege (free postage) during campaigns and
  • Make office holding candidates pay for their own trips to and from Washington during their campaigns.

Obviously my points need refining and there’s a lot more that can be done but until we fix campaign financing we will be unable to control any of our other national problems because they are all symptoms of the same disease. 

Your answer to this one question will tell you if I’m right or wrong.  If Wal-Mart gives a candidate $5,000 and you give the same candidate $25.00 which of you will get faster action when you call for assistance or want to meet with the official?

Special interests own our political system and we will not have government of, for and by the people until we run the big money out of campaigns and make politicians pay attention to voters…yes real voters.

And…..an additional strike for freedom. 

Montana High Court Says ‘Citizens United’ Does Not Apply In Big Sky State |

www.alternet.org

State Supreme Court Issues Remarkable Ruling Against Corporate Speech