Re: Campaign Finance Reform

[Brian Davis <bdavis@thepoint.net>]

On Mon, 18 Dec 1995, jim bell wrote:

> At 10:41 AM 12/18/95 -0500, you wrote:
> >On Mon, 18 Dec 1995, Jon Lasser wrote:
> >
> >> On Sun, 17 Dec 1995, jim bell wrote:
> >...
> >> > It is absolutely true that you couldn't stop a person from communicating
> >> > claims of a donation to a politician.   But what you COULD do is to ensure
> >> > that the donor couldn't PROVE that he made such a donation.  In other
> words,
> >> > _I_ could claim that I gave $1K to Senator Sludgepump (a lie) and the good
> >> > senator would have no idea that I wasn't telling the truth.  The people who
> >> > REALLY made such donations would be helpless.
> >> 
> >> A tricky way around this, if it's done ALMOST properly, is to donate in 
> >> odd amounts... ie "Senator Sludgepump, I am going to donate $469.23 to 
> >> your campaign..."
> >> 
> >> All this means is that the donations would have to be lumped in some way 
> >> so that Senator Sludgepump can't find out the exact amounts donated by 
> >> any individual.
> >
> >Cancelled checks.
> >
> >Or, hand check in addressed, stamped envelope to Senator Sludgepump and 
> >ask him if he would mind sealing it and dropping it in a mailbox.
> >
> All of which raises numerous opportunities for sting operations against
> politicians, done by individuals by procedures provided for under law.
> Escrow (Okay, I know that's a dirty word around here, but...) an encrypted
> statement of how you intend to run the sting, to be opened by the escrow
> agent at some point in the future, explaining who you're going after and
> how.  Make the contribution, keep evidence, and if you're successfull the
> congressman goes to jail for a few years.  


The problem with the private investigation is that law enforcement may 
not believe you were an "innocent" citizen conducting an investigation.  
Remember the ABSCAM Congressman who contended he was conducting his own 
investigation ...

Escrowing what you intend to do could be seen as blackmail ammunition if 
the Congressman fails to produce.

Unfortunately for the Cryptoanarchists (tm -- in more ways than one), 
absent law enforcement running the "sting" you are taking a risk of being 
stung yourself.

EBD