Thursday, August 16, 2012

Voters can end company's political clout

OK, Mr. Advocate. You have identified a problem. That's all well and good. You also spend a lot of time lecturing Teh Voters of Albany County. As an Albany County voter, I kinda resent the lecture.

You failed to mention that if it wasn't for your colleagues, Gavin, Carleo-Evangelist, Hinman (and others I'm sure), Teh Voters would have no idea that all these contributions were from the same company.

Before you started your lecture, did you confirm that the TU has always and consistently informed Teh Voters about these contribution shenanagins? Are you certain that Teh Voters always have this information before we vote?

You also failed to discuss the mechanics of these contribution shenanagins. The muddying of the waters that occurs when donors set up LLC's for the purpose of making contributions and getting around contribution limits.

Does every voter need to become a campaign finance expert before he votes? Does every voter need to put in the time and effort that your colleagues did, when they pieced this puzzle together?

Why did you not feel the need to lecture the legiscritters who set up a system that is designed to disguise these campaign contributions?

Blame Teh Voters all you'd like. But we are not the ones who set up the system. We are not the ones who talk about reform and then use institutional inertia to keep the system just as it is. Put the blame where it belongs.

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