Campaign Contribution Limits

[g5000]

A lot of people have wasted a lot of energy for a very long time trying to reform campaign finance. The Supreme Court has handed down decisions intended to limit campaign cash, but in recent years they have chipped away at previous rulings.

Congress has passed a bunch of campaign finance laws over the decades, the one most familiar to people being McCain-Feingold.

Yet, despite all this effort, each election cycle sets a new record of spending.

I'm here to explain why.

Stay with me here.

Company A invents Widget A. Widget A comes with a power cord which fits a special connector on the Widget. It also requires a proprietary tool to open and repair the Widget if it stops functioning. You can't buy the tool. You have to bring your widget to an Authorized Service Center.

Widget A is wildly popular, so Company B decides they need to get in on the action. Since Company B can't infringe on Company A's patents, they create Widget B which comes with a different connector and a different proprietary repair tool.

Just as an aside, Raytheon had propriety fasteners on all the equipment they sold to the military and we were not allowed the necessary tool. We had to pay for a "tech rep", at great expense, to come open the fucking cabinet. I shit you not. This is exactly why I refused a six-figure job with them when I retired. I did not want to be a part of the problem at any price.

Anyway.

Before you know it, the competition becomes fierce. Company B decides you can't have their tool, either. It is more profitable for them to make you take your Widget B to an Authorized Service Center.

Consumers begin complaining to their states' politicians. In some states, the political bodies take action and force the companies to sell their tools. Other states take a laisse faire attitude and say, "Fuck it. Let the market decide and may the best Widget win."

Remember Beta vs. VHS? (VHS won.)

More recently, USB Micro A vs USB Micro C. (Micro C is winning.)

These widgets become so popular, some people now claim widgets are a human right.

So one day, powerful federal elected officials decide it is time for them to take over the problem, and they do.

This is called "federal pre-emption", and it drives Libertarians absolutely batshit insane. And they are often correct.

Some of you may be thinking federal pre-emptions are something only commie DEI liberals do, but you'd be wrong.

Take a gander at what the Republicans inserted into Section 117 of the Commodities and Futures Modernization Act (CFMA).

I did not hear a single right wing commentator lose their shit at this naked usurpation of states' rights. Go figure.

That Section was a major contributor to the 2008 crash.

Before I go further down this rabbit hole, back to the Widgets.

Company A and Company B have been forced to pay for lobbyists in 50 states up to this point. They have had to expend a great deal of energy and money in the process. A little cash in this legislator's pocket here, a threat to expose closeted skeletons there. All for inconsistent results from state to state.

But now they have been handed a gift. A beautiful gift. The federal government has just consolidated power at the top.

It's now one-stop shopping for these corporations. They only have to buy a handful of cronies now.

The federal government has been usurping power more and more ever since the days of FDR. This is a convenience beyond imagining for special interests.

Obamacare was a huge boon to insurance companies and labor unions. One-stop shopping.

This is why more and more cash is flowing into federal politics.

Now here's the coup de grace.

For those US Senators who run for re-election, since at least 1970 they have been succeeding at a rate of 80 percent!

It's even worse in the House. When they run for re-election, they succeed at a rate of, get this, 98 percent!

Sure, gerrymandering might explain SOME of the House success, but that does not explain the Senate's success.

What does explain it is the massive campaign cash advantage incumbents have over challengers.

And that drives EVERYONE insane.

Yet those who are working hard to consolidate power at the top fail to see they are the problem

 

[g5000]

Here's a Libertarian favorite, and one of mine, too.

Company C invents a Turbo Encabulator. The Turbo Encabulator has a lot of moving parts. It's very complicated, but quickly becomes indispensable to the auto industry.

Because of its complexity,, there isn't any competition in the beginning. Over the years, Company C dominates and is able to dictate price and control availability to automakers.

Company C then becomes sclerotic out of sheer inertia. Their quality control become negligent and sloppy. Workplace safety is practically non-existent. Innovation is dead. There are lots of drunken office parties with hookers and blow, with district congressmen and Senators present.

Company D decides this is the perfect opportunity to get into the Turbo Encabulator market. They have a MUCH better business plan. They are energetic and eager and know how to make higher quality Turbo Encabulators for a fraction of the price.

This is where Company C now activates its lobbyists and opens its bank vault and starts calling their markers with the politicians in their pockets.

Some of our politicians are paid to make such strict regulations that it becomes too burdensome for competitors to break into a market.

This really happens. I'm sure our local Libertarians would be happy to provide examples. Hairdressers come to mind.

 

[Auld Phart]

my favorite tv quote

"

• Sophie Devereaux: [pretending to be a defense contractor] My company's focused on meeting Senators, but, um, I'm thinking Congressmen.
• Charles Dufort: You know the great thing about Congressmen? 50, 100 grand well spent will get one elected. But then, once they're in, the incumbency rate is over 95%! So you can get on an average 18, 20 years use out of one of them. In these uncertain times, buying a United States Congressman is one of the best investments a corporation can make!

(Leverage 1.2, the Homecoming Job)

 

[g5000]

So there's the problem. Special interests are always finding ways around the campaign contribution limits. No Supreme Court decisions, and no legislation, have slowed them down one bit.

What's the solution?

By far the largest forum for corruption is the federal tax code. The exchange of cash-for-carveouts is a total free-for-all.

The gifts bestowed on special interests via the tax code add up to a mind-boggling $1.6 trillion.

Per year.

And still growing.

Most of the exemptions, credits, and deductions have been added by Republicans. Democrat gift-giving graft is more open.

The tax code is controlled by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee on Taxation and IRS Oversight.

That's just a meager 58 people special interests have to bribe.

Actually, they only need to bribe the majority members, not all of them.

Now imagine if the power to create deductions, credits, and exemptions were taken away from these cretins.

Then you have just removed the incentive for special interests to bribe them.

Presto! Campaign finance reform the right way!

 

[yidnar]

A lot of people have wasted a lot of energy for a very long time trying to reform campaign finance. The Supreme Court has handed down decisions intended to limit campaign cash, but in recent years they have chipped away at previous rulings.

Congress has passed a bunch of campaign finance laws over the decades, the one most familiar to people being McCain-Feingold.

Yet, despite all this effort, each election cycle sets a new record of spending.

I'm here to explain why.

Stay with me here.

Company A invents Widget A. Widget A comes with a power cord which fits a special connector on the Widget. It also requires a proprietary tool to open and repair the Widget if it stops functioning. You can't buy the tool. You have to bring your widget to an Authorized Service Center.

Widget A is wildly popular, so Company B decides they need to get in on the action. Since Company B can't infringe on Company A's patents, they create Widget B which comes with a different connector and a different proprietary repair tool.

Just as an aside, Raytheon had propriety fasteners on all the equipment they sold to the military and we were not allowed the necessary tool. We had to pay for a "tech rep" to come open the fucking cabinet. I shit you not. This is exactly why I refused a six-figure job with them when I retired. I did not want to be a part of the problem at any price.

Anyway.

Before you know it, the competition becomes fierce. Company B decides you can't have their tool, either. It is more profitable for them to make you take your Widget B to an Authorized Service Center.

Consumers being complaining to their states' politicians. In some states, the political bodies take action and force the companies to sell their tools. Other states take a laisse faire attitude and say, "Fuck it. Let the market decide and may the best Widget win."

Remember Beta vs. VHS? (VHS won.)

More recently, USB Micro A vs USB Micro C. (Micro C is winning.)

These widgets become so popular, some people now claim widgets are a human right.

So one day, powerful federal elected officials decide it is time for them to take over the problem, and they do.

This is called "federal pre-emption", and it drives Libertarians absolutely batshit insane. And they are often correct.

Some of you may be thinking federal pre-emptions are something only commie DEI liberals do, but you'd be wrong.

Take a gander at what the Republicans inserted into Section 117 of the Commodities and Futures Modernization Act (CFMA).

I did not hear a single right wing commentator lose their shit at this naked usurpation of states' rights. Go figure.

That Section was a major contributor to the 2008 crash.

Before I go further down this rabbit hole, back to the Widgets.

Company A and Company B have been forced to pay for lobbyists in 50 states up to this point. They have had to expend a great deal of energy and money in the process. A little cash in this legislator's pocket here, a threat to expose closeted skeletons there. All for inconsistent results from state to state.

But now they have been handed a gift. A beautiful gift. The federal government has just consolidated power at the top.

It's now one-stop shopping for these corporations. They only have to buy a handful of cronies now.

The federal government has been usurping power more and more ever since the days of FDR. This is a convenience beyond imagining for special interests.

Obamacare was a huge boon to insurance companies and labor unions. One-stop shopping.

This is why more and more cash is flowing into federal politics.

Now here's the coup de grace.

For those US Senators who run for re-election, since at least 1970 they have been succeeding at a rate of 80 percent!

It's even worse in the House. When they run for election, they succeed at a rate of, get this, 98 percent!

Sure, gerrymandering might explain SOME of the House success, but that does not explain the Senate's success.

What does explain it is the massive campaign cash advantage incumbents have over challengers.

And that drives EVERYONE insane.

Yet those who are working hard to consolidate power at the top fail to see they are the problem

and yet "the old school conservative" fails to mention the hundreds of millions in Zuckerbucks funneled to his Marxist party ..

 

[fncceo]

“When buying and selling are legislated, the first thing to be bought and sold is legislators”

- P.J. O’Rourke.

 

[g5000]

and yet "the old school conservative" fails to mention the hundreds of millions in Zuckerbucks funneled to his Marxist party ..

Actually, if you were paying attention, you would have noticed I am talking about both parties.

Take that claw hammer out of your head.

 

[ThisIsMe]

A lot of people have wasted a lot of energy for a very long time trying to reform campaign finance. The Supreme Court has handed down decisions intended to limit campaign cash, but in recent years they have chipped away at previous rulings.

Congress has passed a bunch of campaign finance laws over the decades, the one most familiar to people being McCain-Feingold.

Yet, despite all this effort, each election cycle sets a new record of spending.

I'm here to explain why.

Stay with me here.

Company A invents Widget A. Widget A comes with a power cord which fits a special connector on the Widget. It also requires a proprietary tool to open and repair the Widget if it stops functioning. You can't buy the tool. You have to bring your widget to an Authorized Service Center.

Widget A is wildly popular, so Company B decides they need to get in on the action. Since Company B can't infringe on Company A's patents, they create Widget B which comes with a different connector and a different proprietary repair tool.

Just as an aside, Raytheon had propriety fasteners on all the equipment they sold to the military and we were not allowed the necessary tool. We had to pay for a "tech rep", at great expense, to come open the fucking cabinet. I shit you not. This is exactly why I refused a six-figure job with them when I retired. I did not want to be a part of the problem at any price.

Anyway.

Before you know it, the competition becomes fierce. Company B decides you can't have their tool, either. It is more profitable for them to make you take your Widget B to an Authorized Service Center.

Consumers begin complaining to their states' politicians. In some states, the political bodies take action and force the companies to sell their tools. Other states take a laisse faire attitude and say, "Fuck it. Let the market decide and may the best Widget win."

Remember Beta vs. VHS? (VHS won.)

More recently, USB Micro A vs USB Micro C. (Micro C is winning.)

These widgets become so popular, some people now claim widgets are a human right.

So one day, powerful federal elected officials decide it is time for them to take over the problem, and they do.

This is called "federal pre-emption", and it drives Libertarians absolutely batshit insane. And they are often correct.

Some of you may be thinking federal pre-emptions are something only commie DEI liberals do, but you'd be wrong.

Take a gander at what the Republicans inserted into Section 117 of the Commodities and Futures Modernization Act (CFMA).

I did not hear a single right wing commentator lose their shit at this naked usurpation of states' rights. Go figure.

That Section was a major contributor to the 2008 crash.

Before I go further down this rabbit hole, back to the Widgets.

Company A and Company B have been forced to pay for lobbyists in 50 states up to this point. They have had to expend a great deal of energy and money in the process. A little cash in this legislator's pocket here, a threat to expose closeted skeletons there. All for inconsistent results from state to state.

But now they have been handed a gift. A beautiful gift. The federal government has just consolidated power at the top.

It's now one-stop shopping for these corporations. They only have to buy a handful of cronies now.

The federal government has been usurping power more and more ever since the days of FDR. This is a convenience beyond imagining for special interests.

Obamacare was a huge boon to insurance companies and labor unions. One-stop shopping.

This is why more and more cash is flowing into federal politics.

Now here's the coup de grace.

For those US Senators who run for re-election, since at least 1970 they have been succeeding at a rate of 80 percent!

It's even worse in the House. When they run for re-election, they succeed at a rate of, get this, 98 percent!

Sure, gerrymandering might explain SOME of the House success, but that does not explain the Senate's success.

What does explain it is the massive campaign cash advantage incumbents have over challengers.

And that drives EVERYONE insane.

Yet those who are working hard to consolidate power at the top fail to see they are the problem

And, as I've always stated, lobbying should be illegal.

And..


Government needs to be smaller..

 

[yidnar]

Actually, if you were paying attention, you would have noticed I am talking about both parties.

Take that claw hammer out of your head.

did you vote for Harris ?

 

[g5000]

did you vote for Harris ?

Nope. I voted for none of the above.

You really need to stop making assumptions about me.

When I say Trump's followers know nothing about conservatism, you prove it after reading these posts and hilariously assuming I voted for Harris.

 

[yidnar]

Nope. I voted for none of the above.

You really need to stop making assumptions about me.

When I say Trump's followers know nothing about conservatism, you prove it after reading these posts and hilariously assuming I voted for Harris.

for someone who's claims to be a conservative you constantly bash the right while you constantly defend the left .. are you mac1958's sock ?

 

[g5000]

And, as I've always stated, lobbying should be illegal.

And..


Government needs to be smaller..

I don't know about making lobbying illegal. After all, the right to petition the government is in the First Amendment and allows your small voice to be greatly amplified.

I whole-heartedly agree government most definitely needs to be smaller and less powerful. Which is why yidnar thinks I voted for Harris.

 

[g5000]

for someone who's claims to be a conservative you constantly bash the right while you constantly defend the left .. are you mac1958's sock ?

These days, the New Right lies incessantly and pathologically. I embrace the truth over party.

If the party of my youth would stop being a pack of psychos, I would bash it a lot less.

As I have explained countless times, if a guest shit all over my neighbor's furniture, I would have a pretty low opinion of him.

But if a fat orange guest invited himself into MY home and shit all over MY furniture, my outrage would be much, much worse, and I would have a lot more bashing to do.

Eventually, maybe, those of you who make so many erroneous claims and assumptions about me will one day figure this out.

But that will first require you to open your eyes and see just how far off the conservative reservation you are.

 

[fncceo]

Nope. I voted for none of the above.

You really need to stop making assumptions about me.

When I say Trump's followers know nothing about conservatism, you prove it after reading these posts and hilariously assuming I voted for Harris.

President Trump isn’t a Libertarian by any means.

But… he upsets those who hate Libertarians so it’s a step in the right direction.

 

[yidnar]

These days, the New Right lies incessantly and pathologically. I embrace the truth over party.

If the party of my youth would stop being a pack of psychos, I would bash it a lot less.

As I have explained countless times, if a guest shit all over my neighbor's furniture, I would have a pretty low opinion of him.

But if a fat orange guest invited himself into MY home and shit all over MY furniture, my outrage would be much, much worse, and I would have a lot more bashing to do.

Eventually, maybe, those of you who make so many erroneous claims and assumptions about me will one day figure this out.

But that will first require you to open your eyes and see just how far off the conservative reservation you are.

thanks for not refuting my claim that you constantly defend the left .. lefty ..

 

[g5000]

President Trump isn’t a Libertarian by any means.

That's for damned sure.

 

[g5000]

thanks for not refuting my claim that you constantly defend the left .. lefty ..

Okay, you are way too confused to engage with any further.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

So there's the problem. Special interests are always finding ways around the campaign contribution limits. No Supreme Court decisions, and no legislation, have slowed them down one bit.

What's the solution?

By far the largest forum for corruption is the federal tax code. The exchange of cash-for-carveouts is a total free-for-all.

The gifts bestowed on special interests via the tax code add up to a mind-boggling $1.6 trillion.

Per year.

And still growing.

Most of the exemptions, credits, and deductions have been added by Republicans. Democrat gift-giving graft is more open.

The tax code is controlled by the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee on Taxation and IRS Oversight.

That's just a meager 58 people special interests have to bribe.

Actually, they only need to bribe the majority members, not all of them.

Now imagine if the power to create deductions, credits, and exemptions were taken away from these cretins.

Then you have just removed the incentive for special interests to bribe them.

Presto! Campaign finance reform the right way!

What about eliminating the IRS and raising revenue with tariffs?

 

[ThisIsMe]

I don't know about making lobbying illegal. After all, the right to petition the government is in the First Amendment and allows your small voice to be greatly amplified.

I whole-heartedly agree government most definitely needs to be smaller and less powerful. Which is why yidnar thinks I voted for Harris.

After all, the right to petition the government is in the First Amendment and allows your small voice to be greatly amplified.

Tell that to those who are against the electoral college..

 

[g5000]

Tell that to those who are against the electoral college..

The way I look at the electoral college is that it is like the World Series. It's not who scores the most runs, it's who wins the most games.

And just like the Yankees in the 1960 World Series, a team sometimes scores the most runs but loses the Series.

In 2016, Trump scored less popular votes, but won the most electoral votes.

It happens.

That doesn't mean I have to like the results.

But at least I won't storm the Capitol.