Political Contributions
What is a political contribution?
It is money or anything of value given to or for a person who wants to be elected to a political office.
Why are political contributions made?
Contributions are made because the contributor wants the person to be elected.
Why would a contributor want a particular person to be elected to a particular office?
1. He or she might believe that the person would do the best job in that office.
2. He or she might believe that the person would owe him or her a ‘debt’ of gratitude.
I suggest that the above is reasonable, pragmatic, and equitable except for: ‘He or she might believe that the person would owe him or her a ‘debt’ of gratitude.’
It, probably, wouldn’t create an equitable environment if a politician’s vote would be influenced by ‘friendships’ or other prejudicial influences.
Should the law forbid all political contributions or should legislation be passed that would mitigate these potential ‘influences’?
If all political contributions were prohibited by law, one would not be able to support a candidate whom the potential contributor believed to be the best person to occupy that office, thus the prohibition would be within the ‘throw the baby out with the bath water’ genre.
This dilemma would be resolved if any politician receiving a contribution must recuse him or herself from participating on an issue that would benefit the contributor.
A penalty of expulsion from office should enhance compliance.
The ‘fallout’ from the legislation would be that contributions from those who intended to influence the office-holder might dwindle to nothing, and the lobby industry might be decimated.
Perhaps that type of fallout wouldn’t be too bad.
mz
June 16, 2011