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Delegation should oppose partisan ‘transparency’ bill

One could easily argue that lack of transparency and the volume of money spent in political campaigns are among the taints on politics these days.

One could argue that the the SUN (Sunlight for Unaccountable Nonprofits) Act in Congress is at least a partial solution to the perceived problem. However, one would be wrong on this count. Instead, SUN is a partisan attempt to empower harassment and persecution of private citizens with the audacity to oppose imperial Washington, D.C., and liberal orthodoxy.

Ostensibly the SUN Act aims to achieve reform by forcing the disclosure of major nonprofit donor names if the nonprofit entity is involved in election activities. Scratch the surface and, typically, it is easy to see the partisan nature of the Democrat-backed bill.

Republicans must raise funds from individuals and groups to wage campaigns. While Democrats such as Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton raised vast sums from Wall Street and other private sector interests, they have a steady stream in place that doesn’t require volunteer donors. Democrats receive the lion’s share of campaign donations from labor unions – primarily government employees – with equal or greater resources than private sector entities. Furthermore, the unions rake in money from members who have no choice – their “donations” are compulsory, leading some to feel that since unions are now really just public sector entities if their entire purpose isn’t to launder money for the Democrat Party.

The SUN Act doesn’t aim to take “unaccountable” money out of politics. For Democrats, it aims to diminish Republican candidates’ ability to raise money by intimidating would-be donors to conservative entities. After all, we now live in an environment in which simply supporting a Republican president brands you for assault, intimidation and boycott. Potential donors would only rationally anticipate being assailed by media and the roaming thugs of the extreme left – because they can watch it happening right now.

It’s hard to define which is worse – the dishonest, partisan nature of this Act or the bright-eyed social justice warrior advocates with their disingenuous propaganda supporting it. Wouldn’t honesty be refreshing? Something like “We don’t mind big money in politics, as long as it belongs to us.”

Sen. Heidi Heitkamp has signed on to the bill introduced by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont. She is encouraged to reconsider. Sen. Hoeven and Rep. Kevin Cramer are encouraged to oppose the bill and, further, to call it out for what it really is – partisan posturing.

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