Posted on 03/21/2002 6:21:27 AM PST by dittomom
On Wednesday, the Senate approved the campaign finance "reform" bill.
If you are not aware of what could happen to your rights under this legislation, consider this: If this bill is signed by the president, citizen groups will be restricted in putting on radio and television ads that mention candidates 60 days before an election or 30 days before a primary.
Supporters of this bill, including our own Sen. John McCain, admit that this bill will have to be fought out in the courts. That's because the First Amendment states that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.
By restricting broadcast ads, the most effective means of communicating with voters, there will be less information available about the candidates. McCain says he is trying to reduce "negative attack ads," but that could merely mean citizens pointing out the senator's voting record on an issue that they care about.
Don't voters deserve the opportunity to hear as much information as possible about the candidates so they can make an informed decision? - Marcia Regan
Phoenix
In case you don't know, I am the author of the above letter to the editor. I submitted it a few days ago, in advance of the Senate vote, so the editors had to do a little editing.
Some of the editing was necessary to reflect yesterday's Senate vote. And I guess there wasn't room to include "Don’t our Representatives, Senators and President swear to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution?" after the reference to the First Amendment. And I guess it was too much of a run-on sentence to add "at a crucial time - before elections when voters are trying to learn about the candidates" in the second to last paragraph. And this sentence was probably too redundant - "This is not just about abridging your freedom to speak out about candidates; it is about keeping you in the dark!"
Oh well, I am not a constitutional scholar or an english major. Just a citizen who would like to see a little more respect for the Constitution.
My commitment to all of you is strong. But I will not forgive Bush for this. I wasn't sure if I could get over it or not. Now I know I can't. I know the cost but if you can't depend on what you're told when they're campaigning, what's the use.
What a sucker I turned out to be, and not the endangered and protected kind.
My "pals" at my newspaper had an editorial "Miracle". Sheesh! At least they never waivered on their principles, sorry principles that they are! I respect that more than liars!
Bob Johnson, David Keene, others send letter to President Bush on Campaign Reform
UNTIL Bush actually signs this thing, there is still a ghost of a chance.
BUT in reality, it looks like its up to the courts as McCain says. That is irresponsible. For many years, my congressman, John Shadegg, along with others, has tried to get a bill through Congress requiring bills to pass constitutional muster before they even come to the floor. In effect, requiring Congress to follow the rule book, when they try to add new rules. Disgusting that we would need such a thing.
Don't get me wrong, I'm furious over this. But I am even more upset with the "sheeple." Even if they knew what was in the bill, they still wouldn't understand what an outrage it is. That would require an understanding of the First Amendment.
PHONE - 202-224-2541
FAX - 202-224-2499
EMAIL - senator@mcconnell.senate.gov
***
So, the Senate has approved the so-called "Campaign Finance Reform" bill by a vote of 60-40, after the House of Representatives passed it by a vote of 240-189. Florida's own two Senators, Bob Graham and Bill Nelson, signed it. It should come as no surprise, really. Once people obtain positions of power, it only stands to reason that they will alter the game to assure that they remain there. This also explains why the mainstream media has almost universally supported this, since this bill gives those agencies almost complete domination of election information thirty to sixty days prior to an election.
You have to love the way that politicians can work the language. "Campaign finance reform" sounds so much better than "incumbent protection act", doesn't it?
Let it be known right here and right now that every one of the 249 members of the House of Representatives and 60 members of the Senate have acted in deliberate and direct violation of the Oaths of Office, which states that those who hold office in the federal legislature shall "support and defend the Constitution of the United States". The First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States, which is the Supreme Law of the Land, begins with "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech". What part of "Congress shall make no law" don't these "educated" people understand?
It also seems that no one perceives the supreme irony that this bill embodies -- that our so-called "leaders" must pass a federal law to supposedly keep themselves honest? At the very least, this bill is a vote of no confidence against themselves. What will become of all this is quite uncertain. The law of unintended consequences looms large in this corrupt and blatantly unconstitutional piece of legislature.
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