Friday,
March 11 2005
ANOTHER JUDICIAL ASSAULT ON FREE SPEECH: This
is so depressing:
PHOENIX
- There's nothing illegal about the state's giving more money
to publicly funded candidates when their privately financed
foes spend more, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Earl Carroll threw out a lawsuit filed by
Matt Salmon, who ran for governor in 2002 as a Republican and
said it is illegal for the state to equalize funding among candidates.
Carroll said the government can adopt rules designed to abolish
even the appearance of corruption in the political process...
The
lawsuit challenged two related elements of the law.
One gives more money to publicly funded candidates when privately
financed foes raise additional donations. Keller argued that
federal courts preclude the state from equalizing funding for
candidates.
The other provides additional money to publicly financed candidates
when independent groups take out ads attacking them or supporting
their privately funded foes. Independent expenditures
made on behalf of the publicly funded candidate are not considered.
(emphasis added)
So, if you're
a publicly funded candidate running against a privately funded
opponent, the government is going to step in with tax payer money
and "equalize" expenditures in the race, even if those
expenditures come from an independent group.
But if it's
the other way around and a privately funded candidate is attacked
by a 527 (like Moveon.org, for example) to the benefit of a publicly
funded candidate, it's just 'tough luck'. In what alternate universe
would anyone consider this Constitutional?
TUNING
UP FOR 2008: The Dems' 2008 dream ticket is shaping up
nicely. Hillary is busy building
her machine, and Obama is out honing
his attack skills.
HOW
WILL THE LEFT RESPOND?: Will there be rallies for academic
freedom and self-righteous lectures about protecting one's freedom
of speech over the
allegedly offensive remarks of this professor just a few miles
down the road from CU?
And will
Colorado State follow in the cowardly footsteps of its sister
school and just pay
the guy off to make him go away? Who knows, if CU goes ahead
with the Churchill deal this could be the beginning of an exciting
new trend in academia. Say something insane or bigoted and then
cash out and head to the Bahamas. Dammit Larry Summers, get off
your belly and call your lawyer.
A
FRIEND OF BILL: In other moderately random political
news, Bill Janklow recently placed
a bunch of ads in newspapers across South Dakota in praise
of Tom Daschle.
THE
SOCIAL SECURITY QUESTION: Steven Thomma asks whether
the Democrats can
beat something with nothing.
DEPRESSING
STAT OF THE DAY: From the National
Center for Health Statistics:
Death
By Race (2002)
Total Number of White Deaths: 2,102,589
White Death by Homicide: 8,685 (0.4%)
Cause of Death Rank: 20
Total Number
of Black Deaths: 290,051
Black Death by Homicide: 8,287 (2.9%)
Cause of Death Rank: 6
According
to the Bureau
of Justice Statistics, in 2002 blacks were 6 times more likely
to be murdered and 7 times more likely to commit murder than whites.
There is
one piece of good news, though. The homicide rate of African-American
children under five reached its lowest
point ever in 2002. -
T. Bevan 1:32 pm Link | Email
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