News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Breaking News

Editorials

November 4, 2012

EDITORIAL: One nation under full accountability

Campaign finance regulations need to be addressed

A long, expensive and ironic election process is nearing an end.

Democracy’s most healthy exercise, voting, is the nation’s best example of the freedoms Americans enjoy and cherish.

It also contains some irony in 2012. In Indiana, Hoosiers are required to show a state-issued photo ID to cast a ballot at the polls Tuesday. If they are not already a licensed driver, they can get a photo ID at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles branch. At the BMV, they’ll need a birth certificate, military ID or passport to get that photo ID. Proponents of the photo-ID voting law contend that it protects the integrity of the process.

Hoosiers and millions of other Americans have been inundated with more than 1 million television ads by the presidential campaigns and “super PACS” supporting either President Obama or Republican Mitt Romney this year. Thanks to the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court “Citizens United” decision and other federal court actions that unbridled the campaign finance system, corporations, labor unions, and other special-interest organizations are pouring unlimited contributions to create and fund those super political-action-committees, adding more than half-a-billion dollars to the already eye-popping $800 million spent by both the Obama and Romney campaigns, according to The Associated Press.

Total campaign spending by outside groups exceeds $1 billion, according to the nonprofit Sunshine Foundation, cited by The AP. Nearly $900 million of that $1 billion goes toward attacking the rival candidate.

Unlike Hoosiers trying to exercise their vote, many donors behind the super PACs get to remain largely anonymous under the wide-open finance laws. Federal disclosure rules are often circumvented. As The AP reported, nonprofit “social welfare” groups funnel millions of dollars through the super PACs for “issue ads,” but those nonprofits are governed by tax laws and they do not have to reveal their donors’ names.

So, exactly which group poses the greatest threat to the integrity of the electoral process — an elderly woman who hasn’t held a driver’s license for 20 years, or a shadowy political-action group funded by a yet-undisclosed handful of billionaires?

The lax campaign financing laws essentially give a few wealthy individuals, powerful corporations and labor groups free reign to slap a nondescript name on their blizzard of super PAC television ads, in hopes of convincing voters to back the candidate that will favor the big donors’ objectives. Of course, before those voters cast a ballot for the super PAC candidates, they’ll need to pull out their driver’s license.

Once the dust settles on the election, the 113th Congress needs to address the nation’s campaign finance regulations. Full accountability should not be expected only of average American voters.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Editorials
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On' Robot Action Connected to Human Thought NYC 911 Call Lasts for 8 Hours Rain Damages Brazil Soccer Stadium RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled California Cops Cruise on Stand-up Paddle Patrol Falling Cable Hurts 10 NASCAR Fans Obama: US Has Helped Syrian Rebels Raw: 100K Protesters Flood Brazilian Streets Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail Afghan Forces Take Afghanistan Security Lead Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Transgender Candidate Running in NYC Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
NDN Video
Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab Sofia Vergara Posts Perky Backside Pic in Thong Gaga Ditches Her Crazy Couture Caught on Tape: Teacher Accused of Beating Autistic Child "Stay Classy" Campaign Aims to Curb Binge Drinking Sesame Street Tackling Tough Topic Parents in Jail Miss Utah Fumbles Interview Question Deranged man claims Newark-bound flight was poisoned
Parade
Magazine

Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News