Spread this message with Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, or Stumbleupon, and subscribe to the RSS Feed to track articles

Congress Needs To Make America Profitable Again

Published 07/15/08 Sen. Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings - Print Article
E-mail - editor@economyincisis.org

Congress needs to rebuild our economy. To do this, Congress must make it profitable for Corporate America to produce in America. Not the President -- not the Supreme Court -- but Congress is charged by Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution to regulate or protect trade. But Congress cries what China needs to do rather than performing its duty. Corporate America is the crowd with the campaign money.

When a bill to protect jobs back home reaches time for a vote in the Senate, it’s either the Senator’s job or the jobs back home. The Senator cries “free trade” and votes with the crowd with the money.

The need for money in campaigns must be limited. In 1998, in the little state of South Carolina, I had to raise $8 ½ million for my election the seventh time to the United States Senate. $8 ½ million amounts to raising $30,000 a week every week for six years. If you miss Christmas week or New Year’s week you’re $60,000 in the hole.

The Democratic and Republican Campaign Committees of the House and Senate help raise this money but, in turn, have taken over Congress, selecting the candidates, orchestrating either support or opposition, and requiring conformance of the Members and Senators. Federalism is ruined -- confrontation abounds.

Former Senator Dick Russell used to say that a Senator is given a six-year term: two years to be a statesman, two years to be a politician, and two years to demagogue. We spend all six years on the money treadmill, calling, arranging, attending fundraisers in the morning, at lunch, at dinners and on the weekends.

Forty years ago when I first came to the Senate, Senator Mansfield had a vote every Monday morning to make sure of a quorum. And we worked until five o’clock on Friday afternoon every week. Today, the Senators don’t work on Mondays or Fridays, but try to get out on Thursday so they can fly to the West Coast for fundraisers.

Each month’s break is not for Washington’s Birthday or St. Patrick’s Day, but a week’s break to travel to a fundraiser. The weekly caucus lunch is for the campaign. Policy Committee meetings are for fundraising. It’s difficult to get to the needs of the country.

In 1971 and 1974 by a bi-partisan vote, Congress limited spending in federal campaigns to make sure one couldn’t buy the office. President Nixon signed these measures into law, but the Supreme Court voided the limits and amended the Constitution by limiting free speech with money.

We need to restore free speech in campaigns with a Constitutional amendment authorizing Congress to limit or control spending – not speech – in federal campaigns. Then neither candidate nor contributor can buy public office and “every mother’s son or daughter” can offer for public service.

With spending limited, campaigns will be limited. K Street lobbyists’ influence will be limited. “527” political groups can be controlled. And the Campaign Committees’ control of the Senator, the confrontation and gridlock in Washington will be eliminated. The Senator will have time to talk to his staff and to other Senators. The Senator can talk to constituents rather than contributors. The Senate can deliberate. The Senate can work on the needs of the country instead of the campaign. Government will work again.

Sen. Ernest F. “Fritz” Hollings served an illustrious career as U.S. Senator from South Carolina from 1966 to 2005. His new book “Making Government Work” captures the wisdom of his experiences and offers politically feasible solutions to make government work.

Click here to contact your Representative in Congress.

Unless the above article is already copyrighted, this article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License, EIC grants permission to use this article in whole or in part provided attribution is given, preferably in the form of a link back to EconomyInCrisis.org.