Stop political campaign contributions!!! What a great idea.

By Jerry McConnell

Just don’t count on it ever happening though; there are too many greedy fingers in that pot of lucre.

What prompted me to write this column advocating that well-intentioned people who start with an idea that they would like to serve their fellow citizens in a government position, elected or appointed and the next thing you know they are hardened political fixtures in a dog eat dog arena.

Whatever happened to the good thoughts and ideas of trying to help one’s neighbors by performing public service? It probably all started many years ago in a relatively small town that was in need of people to take the lead in gathering the groups of people who came to America to get away from foreign despots who ruled cruelly and uncivilly.



Eventually some did step forward, unsolicited and took charge of a situation that was for the benefit of all of the people who had gathered there, wherever ‘there’ may have been. Those who volunteered their own time to see to the needs of others were the first appearances of what we today call politicians.

But Oh Dear God; where did we go wrong? Was it when the first settler forced a few pennies into the palm of the unelected leader for doing such a service to his friends and neighbors; or was it when those settlers found that there was a great need for someone to lead them and show them how a community should operate? Or both?

At any rate, the politicians were born of those circumstances; they just didn’t know that they were politicians until someone else among the group decided that the first fellow who stepped forward seemed to be doing quite well with the small amount of gratuities that he received for “helping” his fellow man.



It was then that the lust for some of that gratuitous lucre, be it in pennies or other ‘in kind’ materials of value such as food, clothing or other hardware goods. And as custom would have it, those services became a standard part of daily living, so the spirit of competition got embedded in others to step forward and offer their services, as they preached that they could do a better job than that first fellow. Sound familiar?

Well you can see where this is going and you know where it went and how the politician was born. As is so hugely apparent today the dominating factor then as it is today was greed. Only today, it is totally out of control to the point where individuals become different people from what they were with pre-political persona.

On August 17, 2011 FoxNews.com published an online report titled “Starbucks Claims Widespread Support for CEO’s Call to Boycott Campaign Donations” authored by Judson Berger in which the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz claimed that the company has “rallied ‘hundreds’ of people to support a call by Schultz to suspend campaign contributions until Congress and the president produce a long-term deficit reduction plan.”

Now that’s what I call ‘high-level’ clear thinking and not just more of ‘let’s see just how much we can give this guy to do things our way’. Schultz has clearly become a leader in trying to “cut off the fundraising spigot.” Berger says Schultz even wrote in a memo, “This effort is not concerned with helping or hurting one party or another - it’s about applying pressure on all those now in office to compromise for the good of the country.”

Of course, the sticking point is that if both sides of the mess in Washington were to compromise, we would essentially be in the same sad and sorry spot as we are now. Looking at the big picture, the Democrats want more revenues coming in; that is exactly why they wanted the debt ceiling raised. To spend more money they HAD TO HAVE the debt ceiling raised. And to get more revenues they want to raise taxes.

Their compromise is to cut as little as possible of their spending habits, and raise taxes while continuing “business as usual” meaning, continued deficits and additions to the national debt.

The Republicans have nothing to compromise as they favor higher amounts of reduced spending and no increases in taxes. These are not compromises they are necessities. If they, the Republicans, compromise it has to be to agree to tax increases and no cuts in spending, both of which contribute to a continuation of a higher national debt.

Maybe Starbucks can convince the Democrats that excessive spending has to stop and taxes should not be raised as that takes a toll on businesses resulting in job losses.

The real answer is Term Limits; one term not to exceed six years. It would save money by not having to hold national elections every two years. And our Congress would not be mired down in reelection campaigning which, now in the House, is a continual process and the fountainhead from which corruption and greed are born.

No campaign funds are needed if there are no reelections. One six-year term and we have returned to the Founders dreams of a civilian legislature.