Why Should the Government Limit Political Donations?

As a life insurance salesman, I compete for my business with hundreds of thousands of other sales people. These competitors include other licensed independent brokers; captive agents; property and casualty brokers; benefits consultants; bankers; accountants; investment advisors; financial planners; and wealth managers. When you consider the internet presence of many of these people, I basically have a competitor everywhere I look.

Not only that, but the life insurance industry does not allow for much innovation or exclusivity among us salespeople. We all can represent the same carriers. We all sell the same products. We all charge the same price for our products (given the same company and underwriting class). And, of course, we all want to land the big fish and sell a huge policy to a very rich person.

Given such a level playing field, success in this business really boils down to this: may the best marketer win. That is what it takes. You build yourself up into the person with the best brand, and the best way of reaching the right people, and you get what you want. If you succeed in attracting the business of Mr. and Mrs. Billionaire, then more power to you.

As far as I am concerned, this is the American way to success. It applies to business, and it applies to every other sector of our public life. That includes politics. For this reason, I have always wondered at the obsession people have with the government controlling political donations. We only have two major political parties in this country. Are they not big enough and organized enough to go out and get all the money they need? Does the USA have such a shortage of millionaires and billionaires that there is not enough big money to satisfy just two parties? Are these parties lacking in manpower so that they can’t solicit even modest donations from zillions of supporters? Are they having trouble attracting the best and brightest media consultants and marketing experts?

You know the answer to these questions as well as I do. Here is an article from the Washington Post that talks about the new latitude that has been given for political donations. My personal wish is that the latitude keeps stretching until the government removes all its controls entirely. The people who want to run our country should not need the government to constrain their competition.

May the best marketer win.