The Problem With Pacs Essay, Research Paper

The Problem of PACs

Over the past thirty years interest groups in America have gained more influence upon government officials and candidates for government office. Interest groups are “organizations of people with similar policy goals who enter the political process to achieve those aims.” Interest groups have had a significant impact upon elections for many years and, since the invention of political action committees in 1974, PACs have increasingly donated more money to candidates in attempt to achieve their political goals. Interest groups can range from groups that support a woman’s right to abortion to a group of businessmen that want to ensure no more government regulations are imposed on them. Interest groups can have both positive and negative impacts on the American political system.

A hot topic in recent years has been the influence of Political Action Committees or PACs, which are specific special interest groups that raise and give money in order to have their policies shown in government. These PACs represent groups of people that have professional interests such as farmers, lawyers and doctors that want to express their support of candidates through political contributions. Corporate PACs represent the interests of the stockholders and employees with common political interests. PAC campaign contributions on congressional votes in recent years are “distorting the democratic process and corrupting our political system in favor of those who can raise the most money.” The influence of corporate PACs on Congress has especially lead to “corporate welfare” and has cost taxpayers billions of dollars in recent years. For instance, Congress failed to regulate tobacco and cigarette advertising due to the $30 million dollars worth of PAC contributions from tobacco companies over the 90’s until it recently passed restrictions on such advertising. Also the timber industry prevailed against a Clinton administration proposal in 1997 to eliminate logging subsidies because of the industry’s $8 million in PAC contributions. This sheltering of such industries is a clear example of how the contributions of PACs influence the “buying” of congressional votes. People that side with the influence of PACs argue that the contributions are given from groups that the candidates already agree with anyway. But if most people in the general public, and including elected officials, agree that the use of tobacco is harmful and natural resources should be preserved, why do tobacco companies and logging companies that destroy the nation’s forests maintain their rights when voted on in Congress? The answer must be due to the influence of PAC contributions. To stop the influence of PACs in today’s politics restrictions must be set. For instance a donation limit from PACs should be set or even the abolishment of PACs could be a solution. Without PACs vote buying would not be an issue. Instead representatives would vote for issues on how their personal feelings or ideals would vote for an issue instead of the ideas of a rich group or lobbyist. Congressmen love the idea of Political Action Committees giving them money for their votes because it adds to their personal and campaign financing for the future, but that should not be the reason for the vote. Interest Groups play a great role in America’s political system by influencing government policies but PACs play far to great a role in “vote buying” and should have restrictions placed upon them.