Word: pac
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Political Action Committee (PAC), originally created to insure the representation of minority views in our democracy, now threaten to engulf the very political machination that created them--the budgetary process. The PAC has become a real-life Washington nightmare of "The Blob," a mass of lobbyists that spills down from Capitol Hill, tearing at the heartland of America. Men, women, children run for cover...
...BOREN-GOLDWATER amendment would be a step toward cutting the power of the big PACs. It would reduce the amount that a committee could give a congressman by 40 percent, and it would limit the total amount of PAC funds a legislator could accept. While the measure falls short of eliminating the PACs altogether, it would certainly reduce their excessive influence...
According to Senator Howell Heflin (D-Ala.), the Senate takes "a break whenever somebody has a fundraiser." With fundraising taking on such importance, special interest funds tend to distort the political system. PACs favor incumbents, with 72 percent of their contributions going to those already in office. This way, PACs can obtain more influence per dollar, wasting little on those who are not "safe" contenders for office. Unfortunately, with the average House seat costing $500,000 and a six-year lease on a chair in the Senate Chamber running its occupant around $3 million, challengers, receiving few PAC funds, cannot...
Just look at the Congressional committees currently handling tax reform. Think they're likely to vote to restrict PAC action? Members collected $3.7 million in payoffs from the tax loophole lobby in the first six months of 1985, a non-election year. With PACs pouring $5000 check after $5000 check into the coffers of committee members, it's difficult to imagine a fair, loopholefree tax plan emerging from Congress...
Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) spent $16.5 million on his latest campaign; such political extravagance will not be possible in an era of Boren-Goldwater. It is hardly practical to refuse PAC donations considering the high cost of a campaign. Legislators who rely solely on individual contributions are a dying breed; few politicians remain willing to brave the political waters without trusty PAC donations to hold onto. PAC reform would consequently make resisting the encroachment of special interests significantly more practical for legislators...