Solving a non problem-Campaign Finance Reform

Congress embarks on one of the most wasteful, bombastic, self-serving weeks of its year.  They are going to talk, argue, get TV face time and maybe even pass campaign finance reform.  After all everybody is for campaign finance reform, Right?  If we just had another law everybody would be good boys and do right.  The current laws just made us do bad…  Right! 

Yes, everybody is for campaign finance reform… but everybody does not see “reform” in the same way.  Let me provide you with my take on this issue. 

To begin, a new law just changes the landscape a bit.  The new law will lower the bar for some, raise new hurdles for others.  The problem, the smart ones, and they are usually the ones with the money (that’s how the got it!) will find a way.  This is where I depart from conventional wisdom; this is just fine with me!  

The argument against this is that evil corporations have the money and they use it to defeat the little people.  But wait, don’t corporations represent people, like stockholders, employees, customers and vendors?   Rich corporations don’t usually act against these people or they do not stay rich corporations for long. 

The Republicans resent the unions dumping millions in the mix to defeat them.  But don’t unions represent people?  The AARP have spent millions in shaping the Social Security system to suck the life out of the young workers wallets to benefit their members.  I do resent the work of the AARP, but they do represent people.

 We have one-person one vote (except in Palm Beach where some were too confused to vote, and Chicago where the dead vote and vote!).  I don’t see anything wrong with groups that represent people trying to influence congress.  But the current trend is to deny the rights of the individual if his influence comes bundled with others of like mind. 

If we look at a group that is of like mind, the black community voted almost with one mind for the Democrats.  Essentially they got together and all voted one way, in what they thought was their best interests.  They are doing the same thing that the evil corporations or unions are doing… pooling their resource (in this case, votes) to make a difference.  There is no talk of black vote reform! 

Another argument is that the “rich” have too much influence.  They point to Denise Rich who it certainly appears bought a pardon.  I might agree with this sentiment, but essentially we brought this on ourselves by overlooking the deep flaws of Bill Clinton.  Oh, he is so smart, he talks so smooth, he feels our pain… we must vote for him.  Bill Clinton did a wonderful thing for us. He reminded us that character does count, in our kids our community and in a President.  A little more quality in our President might just have eliminated this problem before it began. 

So we do have some abuses, but let me argue the point that we should give the rich a little more say.  The stated goal of the campaign finance reform is to give the “little people” a large voice.  Let me remind you that the little people have the same say as the millionaires when it comes to the ballot box.  Dumb people have the same influence as smart people.  We have seen the influence of the less affluent as our tax system becomes more and more progressive.  We have no problem of discriminating against the rich by financing most of our government from their wallets.  A great many of those dollars taken from the rich are transferred to those with less. 

So after financing most of the government on the backs of the rich, why not give them some say by not restricting their political giving.  After all, they are people too. 

The final argument on restricting new campaign finance reform is the constitution:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Senator McCain and Fiengold, what part of “Congress shall make no law” do you not understand?