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True Campaign-Finance Reform

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I sent this letter last week to the Baltimore Sun:

Part Hugo Chavez and part Don Quixote, Blaine Taylor writes [2] that "Just
as, ultimately, the United States will be forced to nationalize the
entire energy industry in order to achieve equality for all of our
people, so, too, must we someday – and the sooner, the better – outlaw
all the lobbyists from the halls of government at every level"
(Letters, May 14).

The more powerful is government, the greater
are the rewards for those who gain privileged access to it.  Because
nationalizing industries expands that power, such a move will
inevitably increase the unsavory influence-shopping and
influence-peddling that Mr. Taylor deplores.  The solution is not to
outlaw lobbying, for that’ll simply drive it underground.  The only
solution is to rid government of the power that makes lobbying
worthwhile.

Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux

I didn’t bother to take issue with Mr. Taylor’s assertion that achieving equality "for all of our people" requires that Uncle Sam "nationalize the entire energy industry."  Where would I have started with such a bizarre and baseless belief?

Nor did I bother to point out that banning lobbyists would violate the First Amendment’s freedom-to-petition clause.

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