Aug 06
The Missoula Public Library will host a free lecture and clinic on September 12, 2016 at 6:30 pm. Speaking will be Dr. Roger Roots, J.D., Ph.D. The title: “Every Claim Untrue: the False Narrative of Campaign Finance Reformers.” Dr. Roots will show that every material claim by people promoting campaign finance regulation is false. Roots …
Feb 01
Every claim of “campaign finance reformers” is false. Every single claim. For-profit corporations actually contribute almost nothing to political campaigns. Common law rules of corporate governance (i.e., the rule that corporations must seek profits as their primary interest) prohibit for-profit corporations from wasting money on politics. (And shareholders could sue them if they did waste …
Jan 29
All who question, discuss, or criticize the government must identify themselves to the government. That is the direction the FCC is moving in. Yesterday, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) ordered that all radio, cable and Satellite stations report the identity of all political ad purchasers to the government. See here. In the past, governments have …
Jan 27
The Bozeman Daily Chronicle is, arguably, Montana’s most extreme pro-government publication. For years, the newspaper has poured out steady support for government control over political messaging under the auspices of campaign-finance regulation. (‘The private sector must never defend itself from regulation!’) It is rare that one reads the word “shadowy” outside the editorial pages of …
Jan 20
The First Amendment protects political speech above all other forms of speech. But in Montana, there is a powerful movement of pro-government voices (not the least of which are the major newspapers) who support ever-more government control over political speech under the guise of “campaign finance regulation.” Montana politicians have been investigated by the government …
Jan 13
The public is largely oblivious to one of the biggest scandals in recent American political history. A tale that includes midnight raids by SWAT teams, machine guns brandished in the middle of the night, secret wiretaps of internet traffic, gag orders and secret evidence–aimed at suppressing inconvenient political movements. See here. And here. As many …
Jan 09
More darkness, evil and corruption out of the failed socialist city-state of Chicago. Information has surfaced that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and City lawyers conspired to pay $5 million in hush money to the family of murdered pedestrian Laquan McDonald. See here. You couldn’t make this stuff up if you were writing a horror script …
Jan 06
Gallup has been asking people about the biggest threat to their lives and livelihoods every month for some time. For the past two years, a vast majority have said they view government as their greatest problem. See here. When Gallup asked Americans what troubles them most and is the chief threat to our way of …
Dec 21
by Roger I. Roots, Founder, Lysander Spooner University Over the past few years, I have become more interested in the topic of campaign finance laws, and how such laws interfere with freedom of speech. Since the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision, there have been thousands of published proclamations that campaign speech freedom will bring …
Nov 19
Trusters of expansive government routinely seek to gut the First Amendment and allow the government to have more control over political messaging. The recurring claim is that political messaging funded by the private sector “buys” elections and produces undue influence. But total spending by government on political messaging almost certainly DWARFS total spending on political …
