Re: The Recent Trend in "Collective Contracts"

[Jim Ray <jmr@shopmiami.com>]

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At 10:49 PM 7/10/97 -0700, Steve Schear wrote:
...

>What if private citizens decided to place Joe Camel ads in print and TV or
>sponsor an event.  Would they also be constrained in their freedom of
>speech?

That depends on what constrains people. Those with the capital resources
to place TV ads or sponsor events would likely imagine the investigation
from bureaucrats into their connections with the evil weed. Bureaucrats
tend not to assume that liking the first amendment motivates anyone when
compared to the lure of filthy lucre (ample evidence to the contrary
notwithstanding). I can imagine a conversation something like this:

"Ok, let's look into the stock portfolio of this "Steve Schear" guy who
placed the ad that pissed the FDA commissioner off. Any RJR-Nabisco? What
about his family? Hey, call the IRS and see if he's been audited lately,
and plunk his name into that big FBI database CD-ROM we got from the
Whitehouse."

Leaving aside regulations governing TV stations and possible pressures
on event promoters by government, I don't think that private citizens
with the means to do this would have the will.

As an increasingly less-partisan-and-more-anarchistic Libertarian, I
must point out a little-noted aspect of the Democrats' scam (there is
no other word).

(from http://www.washtimes.com/politics/inside.html)
                               Donor guests
        . . . . The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
        scheduled a small dinner last night at La Brasserie. Among
        the "donor guests" of the anti-smoking party: Philip
        Morris, R.J. Reynolds and the Tobacco Institute.

What still gets me is the shamelessness of it. This is like N.O.R.M.L.
taking money from pee-test manufacturers (they don't, AFAIK). I know,
"strange bedfellows" and all, but you'd think that they'd wait to dine
privately together until their little public tiff is settled. I guess
they figured that they can count on the media (aside from the Washtimes)
not to call them on it.
JMR

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