MONEY OUTTA POLITICS
Super PACs are "...a horrible abomination for a freedom-loving people in a constitutional republic." These are the words of the head of a Super PAC (the organization that solicits and collects huge sums of private, corporate and special interest money to support candidates for office and elected officials). Private big money and special interests groups have always been able to stream money into the election of candidates. But ever the Supreme Court ruled in 2011 to support the notion that corporations are people (Citizens United v. FEC), the floodgates are now open for unlimited and obscene amounts of money to pour into the coffers of candidates. For example, one Republican candidate has raised nearly $9 million dollars from his Super PAC. Candidates are obviously influenced by the generosity of their donors, and are expected to return the favor by supporting their specific interests. Admirable efforts have been made to regulate campaign contributions, but clearly there are plenty of loopholes to nullify those regulations. After Citizens United there are no regulations at all.
Our houses of government are realistically occupied by representatives of the super wealthy, big oil, agribusiness, drug, defense and insurance companies--the giants of industry. We did not elect these people. They do not represent the interests of the environment or 99% of us.
So what's the solution? GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS! Imagine if every candidate for state and federal office received the same amount of government money-- something appropriate to the election--had the same access to media, and a fixed amount of time for campaigning. It would mean a very qualified candidate, who was not necessarily a millionaire, could put him or herself forward as a candidate for office whose main purpose was to serve The People.
How do we GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS? A number of solutions have been proposed: One is a constitutional amendment that would reverse Citizens United. This is a time-consuming and cumbersome process, and will not permanently and fully curtail corporate contributions to elections. From our reading of the article, "Constitutional Amendment Not Needed: Congress Already Has a Remedy," it appears that Congress has the power to impose the regulations necessary to prevent the Court from allowing corporations to contribute to elections. With any legislative solution voters would get candidates to commit to supporting the legislation that would GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS, and without that commitment they can look for another job. No commitment; no vote.
How do we GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS? We citizens rise up and confront our elected officials. We face the reality of what our government has become. We make demands. We write letters. We sign petitions. We raise our voices. We occupy. We march. If enough of us do this, we could actually get our democracy back. Many groups have taken on this challenge of rebuilding our democracy. Pick one. Follow the developments. GO! GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS!
Articles and Links Of Interest
Constitutional Amendment Not Needed
Money Outta Politics.org
The 99 Pledge.com
Our houses of government are realistically occupied by representatives of the super wealthy, big oil, agribusiness, drug, defense and insurance companies--the giants of industry. We did not elect these people. They do not represent the interests of the environment or 99% of us.
How do we GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS? A number of solutions have been proposed: One is a constitutional amendment that would reverse Citizens United. This is a time-consuming and cumbersome process, and will not permanently and fully curtail corporate contributions to elections. From our reading of the article, "Constitutional Amendment Not Needed: Congress Already Has a Remedy," it appears that Congress has the power to impose the regulations necessary to prevent the Court from allowing corporations to contribute to elections. With any legislative solution voters would get candidates to commit to supporting the legislation that would GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS, and without that commitment they can look for another job. No commitment; no vote.
How do we GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS? We citizens rise up and confront our elected officials. We face the reality of what our government has become. We make demands. We write letters. We sign petitions. We raise our voices. We occupy. We march. If enough of us do this, we could actually get our democracy back. Many groups have taken on this challenge of rebuilding our democracy. Pick one. Follow the developments. GO! GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS!
Articles and Links Of Interest
Constitutional Amendment Not Needed
Money Outta Politics.org
The 99 Pledge.com