Learn more about the real reason for campaign finance laws in this blog post from the Center for Competitive Politics titled "The Big Chill".
See how California is ruining the lives of grassroots activists with huge fines, complex compliance regulations, time consuming compliance requirement (how do grassroots activists, who normally have jobs and not a lot of discretionary income do this?) and arbitrary interpretations and enforcement.
See how California protects incumbents, elitists and the powerful, who can hire a bevy of lawyers and accountants in order to comply with the rules.
I've seen this happen in Indiana. I was once at an Indiana Election Commission meeting several years ago. A person who had run for a state legislative position in a primary was before the commission for either failing to file campaign finance forms or failing to file them on time. She had run a campaign against an incumbent, with no resources, and was beaten soundly at the polls.
She claimed ignorance, lack of resources, and trying to participate in the political process with a new voice. She was fined.
As she walked out, I heard her tell a friend that the message was clear to her - the little people are not to participate in the political process.
Campaign finance law gives this clear message - only the already big and powerful get to be in the government. Little people stay away!
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