March 24, 2017
“Citizens United-Money in Politics”
Since I'm not a lawyer and have no business arguing the point of the corruption of many in our political process, I must rely on common sense. While I have read and generally understand the Supreme Court's reasoning and decision in the “Citizen's United” case, it is apparent to me that the law, possibly even the U.S. Constitution needs to be amended, must make it clear that only people are protected by the Bill of Rights. Regardless on which side of this particular case you stand, it should concern you that any non-human entity (corporation, partnership, etc.), through the power of its resources (cash, influence, etc.), could change the outcome of any election at any level of government. If you are on the losing side of an important issue simply because a small group (small being a relative term) has immense wealth, power, or influence which cannot be matched, you'll learn the hard lesson that our system of government, which is supposed to be “fair and unbiased,” can soon be “unfair and one-sided” in its decisions. Right now, money means power through its ability to hire lawyers, buy media coverage, and intimidate people.
Common sense should tell us that, since only people vote, only people should be allowed the freedom of speech and the other protections of the Bill of Rights. We already have organizations which people can join or organize to support candidates for office. They are “political parties,” fair and efficient or not. PAC's (political action committees) are not political parties; they are “political lobbies” which, in many cases, only seek to serve the wealthy who wish to pursue policies which make them wealthier! Yes, anyone can set up a PAC, but it's the power of the money which a PAC can raise and wield that has the potential to change the outcome of an election. In my opinion, corporations do not and should not be treated as people.
Regardless, every American should be concerned about the power of financial influence in our government and society. There is a way to, if not prevent this abuse, at least mitigate the influence which money can have on our election process: make it transparent! For this reason, I propose that the following be adopted, either as a Constitutional amendment or simply federal law. Below it is in the form of an amendment.
Amendment #?: Campaign Finance
Section 1: There are no restrictions on what an individual, using personal funds, may spend on his/her campaign for Federal, elected office (President, Vice-President, Senator, or member of the House of Representatives).
Section 2: Funds raised, donated, or otherwise contributed by others directly to a candidate's campaign are restricted. The limit on these non-personal funds is determined by the number of registered voters in a particular election, i.e. number of registered voters (regardless of party affiliation) in a House of Representative District or total registered voters nationally in a Presidential election. Those totals will be determined by each state's office which is responsible for such data. The limit is $1 for each registered voter.
Section 3: Donations, which are restricted to individuals (business entities may not contribute to political candidates), made directly to a candidate are limited to $100 per election (a primary is considered a separate election). Records of donations (name, address, phone number, and amount of donation) must be kept by each campaign and be available to the public or media, at any time, upon request (if printed, a reasonable charge is permissible).
Section 4: Political Action Committees (PAC) (business entities may not contribute to candidates or coordinate their activities with candidates) may be formed by individuals who wish to independently support candidates. There are no restrictions on the amount of funds which a PAC may collect in support of a particular candidate. However, PAC spending for a particular candidate is limited in the same way and to the same dollar amount as a candidate, $1 per registered voter. In addition, each PAC must disclose (weekly) publicly the names of its members and how much each member contributed to each candidate. PAC's may not collect funds within 14 days of the election date (or the start of early voting where that applies) and must issue a final disclosure of its membership and individual contribution totals made in support of each candidate no later than 10 days before voting begins. Disclosure must be widely available through the media and the PAC's website.
While there will continue to be an out-of-proportion influence by small groups or those of wealth, at least we will know who is supporting who or what and for what reasons. Only then can we, as American voters, decide who or what we choose to support. Our decisions must not be clouded by the influence of dollar signs. Citizen's United cannot stand. Corporations are run by humans; those humans have the right to use their money any way that they see fit, within legal limits, but the immense power and resources of corporations must be limited to producing products and services only! They only exist to create jobs for people and serve the needs of the public!
Robert Butler
P.O. Box 193
Marmaduke, AR 72443
