PACS

THE REASON WHY

by Russ Batson

Democracy is the worst system of government

devised by wit of man... except for all the other ones.

--Sir Winston Churchill

Some business people would prefer to have little to do with the political process. Washington is seen as an alien place where "special interests" vie for favor, and conversations brim with legalese. Washington doesn't seem to follow the same rules as business. Waste and inefficiency that would doom a furniture manufacturer to failure seem common to federal government programs. Faced with this, many business people decide to focus on the world that makes sense to them, that of payrolls and customer service. They ignore the political process, or limit their involvement to a brief stop by the polls every few years.

This is their right. The Constitution protects political activity, as well as the choice to abstain from it. The problem is that political decisions will continue to take place. Competing interests will still speak out, testify before Congress, make media appearances, and conduct voter registration. Legislation will still determine how your tax money is spent. Regulations will be imposed that affect your family and your business. And the votes for or against these policies will not always be based on new facts, but on philosophies the legislators brought with them when they were elected.

The political process will endure. Your choice is whether to be a participant or a victim. Labor organizations and pro-regulatory groups have chosen to actively participate. Their voices are amplified by a sympathetic media until it often seems that only their view of the world is presented to the public. You can be confident that your lawmakers will be hearing about the sensitivity of the spotted owl to timber development, and about the "right" of artists to federal funding. The question is, will your voice be heard?

Perhaps you are convinced of the importance of political participation, but question why PACs are necessary. When people decide to get involved in our democracy, they organize. University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato has argued that interest groups are the logical way for citizens to participate politically in the modern age. The average person could not possibly follow every piece of legislation or every agency regulation that affected them and still maintain a job and family. Instead, they join organizations that reflect their interests and values, so that they will have their say in what becomes final law, and the impact it will have on their business.

One of the ironies about the term "special interests" so often tossed around by critics of the political system is that every American participates in such groups. Further, many of the most powerful lobbies in town represent the interests of people that hardly fit the mold of "fatcats." AARP aggressively represents retired persons. The NRA protects the rights of sportsmen and gun owners. Those who drive cars, another elite special interest, are represented by the American Automobile Association. These groups derive their power from the sheer number and mainstream status of the people for whom they speak.

There is an additional factor: money. In Washington, as in every other place, talk is cheap. Anyone can hold vigil with a bullhorn in Lafayette Park, across from the White House. But the groups that are taken seriously are the ones that can elect and support their allies in Congress. PAC money provides the resources lawmakers need to take their message--your message--to the voters through public appearances and advertising. This is particularly important for pro-business lawmakers, who cannot always depend on the media to represent their views fairly.

It is also worth remembering that mobilizing resources for political ends is not a corruption of the representative democracy our Founding Fathers envisioned. Indeed, coming together to achieve needed government reform is precisely what our Founding Fathers did and intended for us to do centuries later.

Now, our message to you is simple. You may not like every aspect of our political system. It is a rough and tumble competition, where victory is not always assured. Participants are sometimes left bruised and disappointed. But it is the best system yet devised for sorting out the competing demands of a diverse, multi-faceted society. For this reason, the system will continue, with or without your participation. With your participation, the views of furniture industry manufacturers and suppliers–our support for lower taxes, sensible regulation and balanced labor policies--will be heard and factored into public policy. Without your help, we may be left with someone else's preferred outcome.