The idea of banning legislators from fund raising during any give period of time for any given reason is so very very stupid.

It has already been suggested that fund raising for favorite non-profits might also be banned but I was thinking about what other stupid ideas the legislation might need to address…

…can checks be written during the ‘black-out period’ but delivered afterwards?

…can checks be received during the ‘black-out period’ but not deposited until afterwards?

…can a fund raising invitation be distributed during the ‘black-out period’ but for an event afterwards?

…what if funds are donated to the campaign, unsolicited during the ‘black-out period’?

…does having a web page with an on-line donation option constitute fund raising?

…would on-line contribution pages need to be ‘taken down’ during this ‘black-out period’?

…can I as an individual not connected with any campaign collect checks on behalf of a legislator during the ‘black-out period’ and deliver it afterwards?

…what if I were to stand on a Picnic bench at my local park, ask people to give money to legislators and read the committee names, addresses and ID#s of my favorites during the ‘black-out period’?

We need to stop pretending that campaign finance laws do anything but confuse the public and empower government bureaucracy.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 26th, 2007 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.