[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]LIFTICVSMAXIMVS wrote:
What he did should not be considered a crime in the first place.
Freedom of association.
At worst he’s guilty of hypocrisy – politicians, huh?[/quote]
I many times have sympathy for people who try to keep their own earnings. However, when the person is one who helps write the rules he is avoiding, I have none.[/quote]
Yeah, but he tried to hide money that was given to him “illegally” for a political campaign. The government says it was illegal for him to take that money which I believe is a violation of freedom of speech and association.
Again, hypocrisy is no crime. If there were no laws against what he did it would have been out in the open and we wouldn’t be having this discussion.
I am just trying to be consistent. What he did was not a violation of someone else’s property rights; on the contrary his property rights have been violated – all for a political show that you fellows love so much.[/quote]
Vanish.[/quote]
I don’t think you understand what DeLay was accused of.
To kind of over-summarize, under McCain-Fiengold, it (was – is no longer because it was ruled unconstitutional) illegal for US companies to give to political candidates, but they could give to political action committes, like the RNC, for example.
Well, PACs could donate money to political canidates, if the money was from people, instead of companies.
DeLay would raise corporate money, give it to the RNC, and the RNC would give like amounts of money donated by natural persons to candidates.
Shell game, basically, but legal and in a loop hole.
Couple observations:
-
Both Democrats and Republicans play this shell game. The FEC, which has authority over it, says it smelled bad, but was not illegal.
-
The underlying restriction (no company donations) that caused the shell game has been declared unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals already said: no crime, but has to go to a jury before we can over-turn it.
Long story short — it’s more political bullshit by Ronny Earl who is a complete political whore.
Earl could go charge the DNC chair in Texas with the same “crime,” but won’t because Ronny Earl is a scumbag that makes scumbags look like choir boys.
That doesn’t mean, however, that Tom DeLay is not a crook. He is.
Complete big-gumbint ear-marking corrupt politian, just like all of them.
I would vote for the death penalty for Earl AND DeLay. It would make the world a better place.