THOUGH large energy corporation Enron is financially bankrupt, Washington politicians who accepted contributions from Enron are morally bankrupt. "Soft money" - unregulated contributions to politicians from private organizations or individuals, has been flowing to politicians willing to trade favors for campaign contributions. The president, the attorney general, 71 senators and 188 congressmen have accepted money from Enron in recent years. Money has tainted the American government for far too long. After years of watching rich corporations buy political currency, the public must step forward and support the pending Campaign Finance Reform Bill.
The discovery of huge political contributions to countless government officials has only deepened the public's dissatisfaction with the political process. Though secret pacts and compromises will always exist, the free wheeling days of soft money may be numbered if the bill is passed. As experts scratch their heads over the cause of the meteoric crash of the company, the public must scratch its collective head over how such a conflict of interest could arise. The fact that nearly everyone at the highest levels of government has been given thousands upon thousands of dollars is astounding. It's also sickening since the money came from a company which forced its hard-working employees to hold onto their Enron stock as the company took a dive. Unlike many of the problems in this country, the corruption involved in these easy and unregulated donations can and must be reduced.
The rampant expenditure of private dollars to gain elections and political decisions has gone on for far too long. Rich corporations dump piles of money on politicians to look the other way or for a vote on an important issue. Education, the environment, health care, social security and the many other issues facing society are mere trading cards to many politicians. We accept compromise on these issues, but not when it comes as a result of a wealthy conglomerate buying politicians' votes.
What is most shocking about the whole problem is that public outrage is so muted. While wealthy Americans will always have advantages, there must be limits placed on their influence. It isn't hard to regulate the amount of money that donors can give to a politician. Gifts don't come without a price in Washington, and it is time that Congress recognize this fact and take responsibility.
To understand why campaign finance reform is necessary, imagine Enron Moneybags, a student at the University; he gives gifts to his professors and the dean in exchange for admission, good grades and looking the other way when he beats up a little freshman for his milk money. Then he spends every night at the frats drinking out of a beer bong and taking shots. After awakening with a nasty hangover and a tattoo on his butt, he realizes that he's got five incompletes for the semester, and he can't figure out why he's in Charlotte rather than Charlottesville. The acceptance of soft money causes the rules of fair play to break down as political decisions are bought and sold like baseball cards.
Soft money contributions have been ignored for far too long, and it is essential to the integrity of the American government to regulate the influence of these donations. While campaign finance reform doesn't fix everything about dirty politics, it goes a long way toward remedying the effects of money on the process. A major campaign costs millions of dollars, and the highest spender usually wins. Enron Moneybags can give gifts to administrators if he chooses, but gifts could have a limit of five dollars to avoid influencing future decisions. While the example of the student is exaggerated, it is apparent that campaign finance reform is not an impossible task. After nearly passing last year, the bill may find new supporters in light of the Enron scandal. Hopefully, the many politicians who are on the list of Enron donations will be shamed into backing the bill.
Unfortunately, most people will dismiss the Enron scandal as just another example of why we should turn the channel from the nightly news to "Survivor." In light of this gross conflict of interest for Washington politicians, Americans must return their focus to pushing for campaign finance reform. A petition calling for the bill is within a few congressional signatures of success, and what is needed is more support from the people. They can stop rooting for O.J. Simpson's media comeback and focus on the Enron scandal. People must pay attention to this issue and force the politicians with their hands in the cookie jar to back the bill. That a company can try to pay its way through trouble should infuriate and incense the public. There are many problems such as crime which cannot be easily solved, but this corruption can be fixed. Americans have and always will be ruled by the almighty dollar, but the government doesn't have to be.
(Brad Cohen's column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at bcohen@cavalierdaily.com)
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