Tag Archives: campaign financing

Can Foreign Money Influence Political Campaigns in the United States? . . . and Other Concerns

More than 129 million dollars has already been contributed to the U.S. 2016 election, according to figures in a July 16 article in the Los Angeles Times. That’s in addition to money contributed to political action campaigns (PACS). They can raise unlimited contributions.

Like many Americans, I’m concerned about the amount of money given to U.S. political campaigns, as well as the lack of information about where some of it comes from. We don’t even know if all of it comes from U.S. citizens.

I emailed my concerns to my congressman. His reply listed several pieces of legislation that would attempt to reign in campaign finance abuses. Unfortunately, several appear to have died in Congressional committees or otherwise been derailed.

One of them appears still active:

H. J. Res. 34, the “Democracy is for People Amendment,” would amend the Constitution to establish that only individuals with the right to vote in elections can make political contributions, and affirms the right of government to regulate campaign finance. I take it this means Congress could then pass stricter legislation for campaign contributions and disclosure of donors.

Sounds good to me, at least for a starter. Why don’t you contact your own representative to express your concerns?

 

Fair Play and Community

 

C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity states his belief in a moral law of nature which most people in most cultures adhere to. We, by and large, believe in things like fair play and unselfishness. Nevertheless, though we profess to believe in these principles, we may fail to carry them out in actual practice. We excuse ourselves when we fall from our own standards by suggesting that, in our case, an exception can be made. We are overtired, stressed out, or deserve special consideration.

Since the recession, much talk has centered on the greed of some Wall Street executives who are paid astronomical salaries in a time of privation for many Americans. Recently I read an article in the Seattle Times by John W. Dienhart , director of Seattle University’s Center for Business Ethics. He suggests that these executives probably do not think of themselves as greedy. They believe their salaries are justified because they work hard or because others who bring in less money for their companies are paid more or for other reasons which seems valid to them.

Dr. Dienhart suggests that all of us, including those executives, look at our choices from the standpoint of the community instead of self-centered viewpoints. Will the community as a whole be better off if I insist on a high salary? Do the choices I make impact the community as a whole for better or worse?

What about the amounts spent on campaign financing? Why do we spend millions to influence elections when job creation and education needs go unmet? Is our democratic community better off if elections are won by those with the most money?

We need to view ourselves as part of a community of all the people rather than a subset of our special interest groups. Is that reasonable or possible? How could that transformation occur?