Campaign limits may be on ballot

Political Fix, the St. Louis Post Dispatch blog, indicates Missouri voters may get a chance to vote again on campaign contribution limits.
Governor Matt Blunt is expected to sign a bill that would eliminate the limits that Missouri voters put into place 12 years ago. If the bill is signed, it goes into effect Jan. 1, 2007.
The campaign reform bill, or incumbent protection bill as it should be called, is a dangerous one in more ways than one. Claiming that loopholes in the form of legislative district committees were helping candidates circumvent the limits, instead of closing the loopholes, the majority party latched onto an excuse to get rid of the limits altogether.
In addition, the bill calls for no campaigning while the legislature is in session. While on the face of it, that sounds good, it keeps challengers from being able to collect money during that same period. That gives an enormous advantage to the legislators who are already meeting nearly every day from January to May with representatives of the special interest groups that pour so much money into campaigns...and apparently will be pouring more.
This is not campaign reform; it is a joke.