Campaign Monetary Reform: Changing FCC & Media Rules

As I recently wrote, directly due to overall disappointment with the Republican Party, some persons are advocating the creation of a Third Party.

But even before we consider any kind of third, fourth or fifth major party, we must somehow wrestle with the vast amounts of money necessary to run various political campaigns, on each of these levels:

• Local (city, county, etc.)
• State
• Federal

Most everyone insists there is little if any real solution to this problem: the fantastic, corruptive amounts of cash necessary to run everything from the most minimal of competitive political races on up to the federal level -- is relativistically staggering.

I submit: by the time anyone -- and I mean anyone (with so damned few exceptions!) -- has reached a national level they are so completely subsumed with corruption that they primarily exist to play the system for their personal, sole benefit.

How we can bring reality and proportion back into the political equation on every level, for -- I submit -- isn't this our ultimate goal?

Further, how do we attract those persons who have stellar ideas, who have the requisite training, education and experience to compete in politics -- but yet exist on a fiscal level far below that necessary to even throw their hat into any political ring?

I also suggest that each and every one of us know persons who could Make A Difference -- if only they could "compete" and if only we could level political campaign playing fields.

Which is why I propose this solution:

Make our national and local media, by way of the FCC PSA (Public Service Announcement) mandate, serve as the primary medium of information for political candidate dissemination.

In other words, make the media that try on so many levels to be "biased" or "contained" or "limited" in their actual coverage of various political endeavors -- to be actually RESPONSIBLE, within fiscal reason, for the broadcast of candidates' statements, platforms, debates, prior to an election.

Level the playing field. Make everyone equal. Isn't this the ultimate goal of the Demorats and Leftists?

And oh, how they'll howl at my suggestion.

As will the various media outlets involved from television to radio.

At this point most PSAs are broadcast on Sunday when fewer people are listening and these media outlets can still fulfill their mandates. Broadcasting PSAs on Sunday is the standard because media outlets know that the fewest number of persons are listening or watching and yet, at the same time, they are fulfilling their obligations.

I submit this, then, for your consideration:

When political issues emerge on any one of the three above levels (local, state, federal), local and national broadcasters, dependent upon the venue, both radio and television (and their cable variants) are OBLIGATED to provide a certain and specifically delineated amount of FREE TIME -- equal for everyone -- devoted to the expression of candidates' views, debates, platforms, solicitations.

The more we can reduce the publicity stress, the more we can level the playing field on every side, the more fair our politics become for those with new, unique, uncorruptible, altruistic and philosophical views.

On both sides of the aisle.

What do you think?

BZ