Now that John McCain is the obvious Republican candidate for the 2008 presidential election, I think it would behoove the senator to explain to those of us who are clueless as to the true meaning of the McCain-Feingold Act, just what are the actual terms of this piece of legislation in plain English that we can all understand. For instance Senator McCain, how is it that ordinary American citizens and the companies that employ them are now restricted in the amounts they can contribute to the upcoming federal elections but a greedy, currency-manipulating billionaire like George Soros can pour untold millions into advertising for his socialist agenda? Let’s see if I have this straight, Senator, I can only contribute in small, limited amounts but this Hungarian interloper who is obviously trying to buy himself financial advantage in a socialist American government can dump millions on anyone he deems his best puppet?  I’d really appreciate a plain English explanation of that.

While we’re on the topic, how about a plain English version of all promulgations by our government entities? I hold two degrees, both granted with honors, one with a straight 4.0 GPA in a legal field, yet I confess to having a difficult time deciphering the pending and passed legislation as presented to me on my congressmen’s websites. The newspaper versions are no help because the reporters and editors are no more proficient at understanding the deliberately arcane obfuscations of government declarations than I am.

Democrats loudly proclaim that they want to bring democracy and prosperity to every American while Republicans agree to the former but qualify the attainment of prosperity to those who have worked to achieve it. As someone who grew up relatively poor in a family of staunch Democrats, I can’t but help sympathize emotionally with that party’s dream to bestow the American Dream upon every citizen. But at the same time, six decades of hard work leave me realistically aligned with the Republicans because I know that prosperity comes only with effort, determination and commitment to goals. The current housing crisis in our country so clearly demonstrates this truth: the American Dream cannot be granted by legislative edict; it must be earned.

There exists a simple way to help us all, Democrat, Republican, whatever, to work towards these goals regardless of the varied avenues we choose. It is a concept stupefying in its simplicity: all we ask is that our executive, legislative and judicial bodies give us legislation, rulings and orders that we, the ordinary citizens, can read and understand without translation by lawyers. There are federal and state laws operative now that demand that the language of contracts must meet such plain-spoken standards. Then why should we not have a law to make all government legislation and edicts equally comprehensible?

Senator McCain, I’m lobbing you a softball here: using the unfathomable act you authored with Senator Feingold as a clear example of the need for clarity of language in American law, why don’t you propose an amendment to our constitution which would forever mandate that all federal acts, legislation, executive orders, judicial rulings, etc., be issued in their final form, in language capable of being understood by ordinary citizens? Who, in their right mind, would vote against it? It’s a gimme in that regard, but you have to keep in mind the extraordinary obstacles of constitutional revision. It would take someone with a bully pulpit and Teddy R’s resolve.

Senator, consider the legacy that would attach to that: President John McCain, father of the Straight Talk Amendment, the man who finally made democracy understandable to the world.

Russ Vaughn

Contributed by Russ Vaughn on February 27, 2008 at 04:30 PM in John McCain, Politics, Russ Vaughn | Permalink

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