The November election is three weeks away. Several million individuals have invested time, energy and money on candidate campaigns and ballot measures.
Elections are important – arguably more so this year than most. Electing representatives who genuinely value democracy is essential – including those who are knowledgeable about and committed to ending corporate rule and the corrupting influence of massive money spent/invested in elections.
Move to Amend’s Law & Research Committee has spent years researching and creating Corporate Constitutional Rights Resources. These resources aim to educate our supporters, the general public, political candidates, and elected officials about the idea that democracy encompasses more than just voting and ensuring free and fair elections.
While those aspects are vital, authentic democracy also involves legitimately having a voice in decisions that affect our lives and communities.
From this perspective, two members of the Law & Research Committee share their insights on this year’s election and beyond.
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After the last piece of campaign mail, after the last election ad on TV, and after the last vote is counted we’ll have a new President, Vice-President and other elected officials. What won’t change is the obscene amount of money those elected spent on their campaigns. No matter how well-intentioned, public-spirited, and progressive the winning candidates are they are indebted to their funders.
Wealthy individuals, corporations and unions can legally “launder” their contributions through Political Action Committees. Result? The unfettered ability to donate virtually unlimited amounts of money. But no matter how difficult it is to track dark money donations the winning candidates know where the big bucks came from, and they didn’t come from you or me.
Regardless who wins, the problem remains the same: will our elected representatives represent us and the public interest or their large donors’ interests?
Move to Amend seeks to amend the constitution to address this problem. Our We the People Amendment would clearly overrule the badly-decided Supreme Court decisions that equate money and speech and gave corporations the rights of people.
For those who sent postcards, made phone calls, and knocked on doors, thank you! Democracy requires participation. But it doesn’t end on election day. Stay involved and active. Don’t forget: our amendment will make any other issue you work on easier to achieve.
The real battle is after Election Day. Stay tuned. And thanks for all you’re doing!
- John Fioretta
This election is a critical test of the American experiment in democracy. The stakes are high up and down the ballot. Our participation in this election is crucial.
But our civic participation must not end when the outcome is known. We the People must keep working to get our “representatives” to legislate for us and not for the (self-centered, undeserving sociopaths) or (CEOs) running the corporate monopolies ruling the economy and continually bribing our “representatives” with campaign cash. The US economic and political systems are in their second Gilded Age.
Too few of our “representatives” know enough about the 140 year history of Supreme court decisions that created corporate constitutional personhood and made campaign cash free speech. Several proposed amendments are out there, and one (HJR 13) could actually make matters worse.
Our HJ Res 54, the We the People Amendment, is the only one capable of overturning that groundwork and CitizensUnited.
The election’s outcome may help us regain our rightful role as instrumental citizens, or it may enhance the dominion of this second Gilded Age’s corporate masters. No matter who wins, We the People must convince them to work for all of We thePeople.
Our work continues.
-- Norm Conrad
Onward in creating a legitimate democracy that we all deserve,
Tara, Cole, Shelly, George, Daniel, Kelsey, Jennie, Michael, Katie, Margaret , Keyan, Alfonso, Jessica, Jason, & Greg
- Move to Amend National Team
Move to Amend
https://www.movetoamend.org/
p.s. Whether or not you’ve invested considerable time, energy and/or money in this year’s election, please consider investing in our grassroots movement to expand people power by ending corporate rule.
