Amendment Will Change Citizens United Decision
January 21, 2020, is the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs. FEC ruling. Money is said to be the mother of politics. Perhaps as a requisite for running for public office, there should be a prequalification that candidates be pretested for lactose intolerance.
Since the Citizens case, the floodgates of money’s influence have been unleashed so that the voice of the average citizen’s concerns has been nearly drowned out.
The growth of PACs, Political Action Committees, who may make donations up to $5000 per candidate, and the federal tax creation of 501(C)(4)’s have further undermined the democratic electoral process. 502(c)(4)’s in particular (Dark Money), are particularly toxic because they are allowed to raise unlimited amounts of money (mainly corporations and unions) and not divulge their sources.
State governments, which authorize and license corporations, have done so with the intent to better our society. Unfortunately, between legislation passed and Supreme Court decisions, corporations are now treated as people with full rights to free speech (First Amendment) and can now spend as much money as they want to buy, if you will, the media and ear of our Congress. We now have the best government (oligarchy) money can buy!
At the present time, our only valid way to change the current trend is to overturn Citizens United vs. FEC with the creation/passage of the 28th Amendment. This would end the farce that corporations are like legal persons with the same rights as real people under the Constitution.
That being the case, why not it be required that corporation CEO’s/ admins be the first called up when, as I believe we should, go back to the universal military draft?
Right now we need people to call Rep. William J. Keating, and thank him for co-sponsoring “We the People Act” House bill, HJR48, which provides the remedy/language backing a 28th Amendment. His numbers are 508-999-6468 (New Bedford office), and 202-225-3111 (in DC). Going further, please call our U.S. Senators and strongly urge them to introduce or co-sponsor similar legislation to House Bill HJR48. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office is 202-224-4543; Sen. Edward Markey’s office is 202-224-2742.
Realizing that apathy in democracy is like a cancer to the human body and, going further, to paraphrase an adage: The World is a dangerous place, not because of bad people doing destructive things, but it is good people who sit by, watch, and DO NOTHING.
Please do make that call.
Luther Damon Howard, Fairhaven
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