Most good and bad things start with money. That is understandable….. actions require money. When it comes to political action it has come to mean a lot of money. Everyone knows that and everyone realizes that a lot of money offered also brings with it a lot of “payback” from the election winners for the donors. Different rules on political donations have been tried to reduce the “influence peddling” that large donations always have attached to them. That large donors expect to be paid back is not a surprise. After all “influence” is just another commodity…….. it is bought and sold all the time. Rules that regulate the size of donations have had NO effect at all……… nor will they have. They just outline the “hoops” the large donors have to jump through in order to comply with the laws that have zero effect on regulating donations. Why is that? Maybe because it fights the humans nature of trying to get an advantage in whatever endeavor they are involved in………. such as: pitchers throw spit balls……. coaches steal opponents signs or play books…….. game officials are bribed……… fighters take dives……. AND…….. politicians………. TA… DA….. “SELL INFLUENCE”!!! People are always looking for an edge. What BIGGER edge is there than influencing the lawmakers that affect the rules for the whole country? If promoting anyones, or any groups, agenda is a reasonable goal, at what point does this promotion cross into the category of a “bribe“……… or does it ever??

If it is believed that controlling human nature is a fools errand and that “influence peddling” is just that….. what should the rules be for lawmakers selling their “wares”? Maybe it should be that ALL DONATIONS have to be directly linked to donors and their organizations and attach the promotional material such donations can buy with “label warnings” similar to those side effect warnings that drug companies have to include on their drug ads. Such as this “opinion” is brought to you by……….. whoever. Along with those warnings come repercussions to the candidate in the form of…….. you pick the penalty…….. go ahead because……… it will NOT MATTER…….. adherence will be replaced by avoidance……. it is human nature!

No…… rules will not regulate human nature. The only way that the situation can be changed is by “limiting” the amount of any influence any individual can have on the process of enacting laws, OR regulations that affect anybody or any industries. How can this be done and still have any petitioning of the government be legal? A couple of things that would help is to have term limits and restrict any former legislator from being a lobbyist for any reason. Restricting donations (payments) to politicians would have little affect other than to make their donations harder to hide. “Donors” would be harder to find if they get less “bang for their buck”. They didn’t get their money by making bad Investments. Mark Levin has a book called, “Liberty Amendments” that I HIGHLY recommend. It addresses so many of the situations that have morphed from the plain language of the Constitution. Our founders expected the attacks on our way of life to come and they set forth remedies for handling them. The Convention of States is our best bet of correcting the course that our country has taken, in my opinion. We are a Nation founded on Judaeo Christian beliefs that is tolerant of other beliefs. That does NOT mean that we should be willing to let any other beliefs dictate, or change in any way our FOUNDATION!! Our foundation was divinely directed and we find ourselves needing Gods Direction as much today as the founders needed it then. Prayers, and the courage to do what is right can get us out of these troubled waters.

You can bet on it!

From stormy seas it is Dave of the Woods