If not, then a constitutional amendment would effectively do nothing to stop campaign spending, since issue advocacy would then become the direction in which current expenditures would head. Instead, we should take a cue from the damage done by the regulations of the 1970s and adopt and approach that recognizes the complexity of the campaign finance system. I think we should recognize that more money in campaigns means more democracy. It means more views will be heard, including those views we may find repugnant. Contribution limits are antithetical to the freedom we cherish in this country.
Freedom is hazardous, but some restraints are worse.
My proposal, the Citizen Legislature and Political Freedom Act, seeks to restore freedom to the process of electing leaders. Specifically, it will lift all limits on contributions to candidates so that Americans are free to give as much or as little as they wish to the candidate of their choice. Lifting contribution limits is only one-half of the equation, however. The system of financing campaigns will not be truly free until the American people are empowered to make informed decisions about the candidates they vote for and the forces that may influence them. The key to such a system is full disclosure of campaign contributions.