Make SuperPACs Do Some Real Good!

We are clearly in an age in which money rules. It's all about the money. When someone asserts that it's not all about the money, then you can be certain that it's all about the money.

I'll admit it as far as NewCovenant Ministries is concerned. We are working to help widows in third-world countries to become self-supporting and prosperous. That takes money. So yes, ultimately, even for us it's all about the money. Without money, we cant' do anything.

I think all my readers know that I'm an American, but I remind them every so often, since I have readers in other countries. Right now, we are in the midst of our Presidential election process. We will elect our president in November of 2012. Several candidates are competing for their parties' nominations for the office.

As part of this process, we see the rise of what are called "SuperPACs," or "Super Political Action Committees." More properly, they are "independent expenditure-only committees," meaning that all they do is spend money. They can raise as much as they want, and spend as much as they want, on anything they want. What they mostly spend their money on is "attack advertising" against whomever is running against their favorite candidates. In the state of Florida, one SuperPAC spent over 4.9 million dollars on one ad campaign alone to help their candidate.

This goes beyond putting haggard thoughts in my mind. It just chaps my hide! How is it so easy for these groups to raise millions and millions of dollars to be used mostly for damaging advertising, when we have trouble finding donors for just $600 a month for our widows in Nderu? I already know that I'm not very skilled in fund raising, but really!

Here's an idea! SuperPACs have almost no restrictions on their activities, except that they cannot coordinate directly with the candidates. Well, let's put a requirement on them. Put a requirement on SuperPACs that for every dollar they spend for their candidates, they must donate a dime, no strings attached, to 501(c)(3) charities like NewCovenant Ministries.

Yeah, I know. It probably wouldn't stand up in court. But why not try it?