Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath which says, “Do no harm.” Politicians should really have something like this.
When it comes to the First Amendment, they do. Our Founders took no chances in protecting the ability of citizens to speak out, assemble, petition government and communicate politically. The First Amendment guards our freedom of speech with it’s opening phrase: “Congress shall make no law . . .”
Our Founders knew that allowing Congress to regulate speech was like letting the fox guard the chicken coop. Congressmen were thought likely to regulate for their own advantage and against their political opponents. Our Founders were right.
It’s no accident that every so-called campaign finance reform passed by politicians has made it tougher for challengers and easier for them to stay in office. We’ll never get real reform from careerists.
The legislation being considered in Congress would actually make it a crime for independent groups to mention a candidate’s name or show his picture. One congressman said we can’t have both fair elections and the First Amendment.
Outrageous! Safe incumbents wouldn’t know a fair election if it bit them, and yet they’re ready to destroy our rights.
There’s a better way. A recent study in California found that since term limits were passed campaign spending has gone down and been more equal than at any time in the 20-year period studied. But career politicians aren’t interested in reform, or the facts. If they were, they would support term limits and step down themselves. Until then, maybe they better stick with the Hypocrites Oath.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.