[EL] Missouri Ethics Commission

[JBoppjr at aol.com]

This is an outrage.
 
If you want to comply with Missouri campaign finance law, go here:  
_Click here:  About Campaign Finance_ 
(http://www.mec.mo.gov/EthicsWeb/CampaignFinance/CF_Info.aspx)  This is the web site of the Missouri Ethics  
Commission and links to the applicable Missouri statute, Chapter 130, RSMo. You  
can click on it and get the August 28, 2011, version. However, there is a  
catch.  On February 14th, the 2010 amendments to this law in SB  844 were 
all struck down by the Missouri Supreme Court. Two and one half  months later, 
the web site of the government agency that enforces this law  (vigorously 
no doubt with all sort of puffery about the people's right to know  and how 
corrupt anyone is who does not comply) still does not have the  correct 
version of the law up.
 
If you look at the top, you will find a red text that says that  the 
content of the web site is "currently under review due to a recent Supreme  Court 
decision.." If you click there, you find out that this "recent Supreme  
Court decision" actually struck down a bunch of recent amendments to the  law.  
So it is two and one half months later and they are still reviewing  the 
fact that all the amendments by SB 844 have to come out.
 
I called the Commission. The person I talked to had to figure out that they 
 had the unconstitutional version of their law still up on their web site 
-- a  full two and one half months later. She also found that they have a  
pre-SB 844 version of the law at the agency, which she found on her computer 
in  about 10 seconds.  I suggested that, after two and one half months (did I 
 mention this before?), they should be putting up the correct law, at 
least. They  can get to their "current" review if they ever get around to it.
 
This is an election year.  Campaign speech is at the core of the First  
Amendment.  And the government actually does not give a damn whether they  
accurately tell you what the law is.  But I am sure that they will punish  you 
big time if you violate it. And I am also sure that the "reformers" will  
scream bloody murder when you do as well, telling you all the while that we 
need  to trust government, not the people, to police everyone's speech..  
 
One more rant.  This is the Missouri Ethics Commission.   What code of 
ethics could they possibly be following?  Jim  Bopp
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