The Supreme Court, addressing Vermont's strict limitations on campaign contributions, has -- with a number of differing opinions -- stuck with the proposition that campaign contributions are a form of "free speech."
Is there any hope?
Maine has been operating with a voluntary system of public financing of campaigns since 1996 -- a system very popular with Maine's voters and candidates alike. It can be done. See http://www.maine.gov/ethics/mcea/index.htm
2 comments:
[Nick's contribution to the DM Register's "Editorial topics for Wednesday," June 27, 2006, at http://blogs.dmregister.com/?p=1866]
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4 Responses to “Editorial topics for Wednesday:”
To paraphrase Vince Lombari, “Campaign finance reform isn’t everything, it is the only thing.” Without it forget improved education, environment and health care. The disaster is not that corporations violate the law, it’s that they write the law.
Washingon’s “culture of corruption” (”coming to a legislature near you”) offers major donors a 1000-to-one or better “return on investment” (give $1 million, get $1 billion in government largesse). For supporting details see Nicholas Johnson, “Campaigns: Your Pay $4 or $4000″ (Des Moines Register op ed) and other material at http://www.nicholasjohnson.org/mainpage.html#*%20Politics
Maine, Arizona, other states have solved this problem. Why not Iowa? See FromDC2Iowa.blogspot.com
- Nick, Iowa City
June 27th, 2006 at 6:06 pm
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