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| Home Front: Politix |
| Talking about rights: What this election was missing |
| 2014-11-04 |
| [UNIONLEADER] A few issues went missing from the debate in this year's elections, none more important than efforts to violate the people's constitutional rights (real efforts, not imagined ones). That is rather stunning, not to mention disappointing. U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen has co-sponsored a constitutional amendment that would allow the federal government and the states to regulate speech. It would allow government to abridge speech, thus nullifying that section of the First Amendment. The First Amendment states clearly that "Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...." The amendment Shaheen co-sponsored would add clauses empowering both Congress and the states to regulate donations to candidates and spending that influences elections. Suddenly, Congress and the states could regulate everything from yard signs to Internet videos -- anything that costs money and influences an election. The government could decree that no one may spend money on political messages within 30 days of an election, or that no one may buy pizza for campaign volunteers, or that no one may create a website designed to influence the outcome of an election in an election year. Think this is far-fetched? The chairman of the Federal Election Commission said last week that commission members are considering creating a review board to oversee online videos to make sure that anyone who posts an election-related video has complied with federal campaign finance laws. Give government the broad authority to regulate all election-related expenditures, and there would be no end to the suppression of citizens' political speech. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 What do the Donks want to do, replace the 1st Amendment with some statement of "Political Correctness" to separate the socialists from the communists? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-11-04 16:46 |