Comment Text:
The CFTC has no business regulating betting on elections or the websites where it is done. Political betting is a first amendment activity that involves the exchange of ideas and evaluation of information put out by political campaigns and the media. The commerce clause of the Constitution gives authority to Congress to regulate products that are being transported across state lines. It was never intended to give unfettered authority to executive branch agencies to regulate the exchange of political speech, the creation of odds on future elections, and the placing of wagers based on those odds. The proposed regulation is unconstitutional, beyond the scope of authority granted by the commerce clause, and a violation of the first amendment's free speech protection. It is being promulgated out of a blatantly political motive to suppress information unfavorable to the current administration. Jim Greenfield
