From: "Kurt Buff (Volt Comp)" <a-kurtb@microsoft.com>
Date: Tue, 19 Dec 95 14:40:11 PST
To: "reh@wam.umd.edu>
Subject: RE: Political Cleanup program
Message-ID: <c=US%a=_%p=msft%l=RED-06-MSG951219111358NO00BA00@red-01-msg.itg.microsoft.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Ya won't have complete equity amongst lobbyists, until ya remove the power 
of bureaucrats to control people's lives. When laws can be used to deprive 
people of their livelihood, via either taxation or regulation, you will 
create situations where people can make money from it, and therefore 
unscrupulous people will take advantage. The only defensible argument for 
government at all is to protect people from depredation, either from fellow 
citizens or from external threats. When you prevent people from engaging in 
peaceful commerce, you open the floodgates to tyranny. Thus, the solution is 
less government, not to try to legislate human nature.

Kurt
[speaking for myself, of course]

----------
From: 	Richard Huddleston[SMTP:reh@wam.umd.edu]
Sent: 	Monday, December 18, 1995 6:12
To: 	jimbell@pacifier.com; vznuri@netcom.com
Cc: 	cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: 	Re: Political Cleanup program

Detweiler wrote:
* >JB:
* >>Politics is traditionally corrupt, it appears, because donors to 
politicians
* >>and political campaigns expect a quid pro quo for their donations. 
 Various
* >>unsatisfactory solutions include campaign spending limits, etc.
* >
* >I have an unusual view that I've never seen elsewhere: the problem with
* >our government is not that money or PACs are involved, but that the 
system
* >does not handle or resolve the conflicts between them very well. in other
* >words, in contrary to the current view that all PACs are evil, I think 
the
* >problem is not that we have PACs, but that our current system does not
* >balance their demands in some sensible manner.  the system is
* >susceptible to corruption. it is conceivable however that there would be
* >a system that involves money and politics but still avoids corruption.

Not to sound like a dupe or anything, but every time I get discouraged
at the rampant mealyism of our political system I go read the first
couple of paragraphs of a text from GOVT 101.  There, I get reminded that
the way most political debate is handled elsewhere is with bullets.

Personally, I welcome a complete equity between all lobbyists seeking to
obtain a politico's ear.  Take the money out of the equation, and let the
merits of their causes, if any, stand on their own. 

Happy holidays,

Richard