Attribute to L. Neil Smith’s The Libertarian Enterprise

Come, let us reason together.

I can’t actually claim credit for this idea—more’s the pity. I vaguely overheard some politician on television (I’d like very much to know who he was) suggest a simple version of it, and I wasn’t really paying attention. Later on, I realized what a brilliant, revolutionary notion it is. I fleshed it out a bit with my wife Cathy (who ingeniously believes that bureaucrats should be term-limited), and here it is, “submitted for your approval,” as Rod Serling used to say.

Rod Serling? Look him up.

Never having been a big fan of the State, I have always hated saying or writing the words, “There oughta be a law”. But, exactly like the Bill of Rights, this particular proposal applies only to the operation of the government, not to individuals, and just might just solve a great many problems that have plagued our troubled country for decades, if not centuries. It should appeal equally to honest, decent Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and everybody else. I’m somewhat surprised that nobody seems to have thought of it before.

Then again, maybe they have.

Under this new law (for which I don’t yet have a snappy name), it will be unlawful for any political candidate to accept campaign contributions from outside the constituency in which he or she is running for office. Out-of-district and foreign money will be strictly forbidden. This will greatly reduce the cost of elections without any complex regulations, and ameliorate the influence of wealthy (and often malignant) outsiders. In a major way, it will return control of the electoral process to the voters, themselves.

Basically, it will be a felony for any Congressional candidate (for example) to accept campaign contributions money from outside his or her Congressional district. Similarly Senatorial candidates may not accept money from outside their state. And, possibly most important, Presidential candidates may not accept money from outside the United States.

These relatively uncomplicated provisions would greatly limit the influence of what President Theodore Roosevelt once called “malefactors of great wealth” like Tom Steyr and the Koch brothers, and possibly eliminate altogether that of George Soros, the entry-level Nazi (look him up, too) whose naturalized American citizenship desperately needs to be reconsidered.

Precisely the same principle would apply to lower levels of government, such as governors, state legislatures, county commissions, and city councils. Contributions from campaign committees of various kinds, and “foundations”, will be considered (and punishable as) money-laundering.

This law could be a simple statute, of course, but it is so sweeping, so important, that it really ought to be a Constitutional amendment. It is capable of altering forever the political structure of the civilization we live in, turning America back into a true democratic republic.

If any politician opposes its passage, it would make sense to investigate where he or she gets his money.