In Citizens United v. the Federal Elections Commission, the Supreme Court lifted the ban on independent corporate election spending, ruling that it was a violation of First Amendment free speech. This unleashed a flood of corporate money into our elections, allowing wealthy groups and the individuals who run them to wield more undue power over our political process than ever before. With the imminent Supreme Court ruling, McCutcheon v. FEC, the overall donation limits for individual donors may be lifted, too.
Filing suit against the FEC, Republican millionaire Shaun McCutcheon argued that federal aggregate limits prevented him from donating to multiple Tea Party candidates in violation of his First Amendment rights a la Citizens United. If the Supreme Court rules in his favor, the FEC would have to get rid of aggregate federal campaign donation limits for individuals, currently $123,200. Imagine a world where donors could spend significantly more...
Billionaire venture capitalist Tom Perkins said, “[Elections] should be like a corporation. You pay a million dollars in taxes, you get a million votes."
Sounds ludicrous, right? To us, too –elections are supposed to be an equal playing field, where each voter has an equal say, but with McCutcheon v. FEC, Perkins' twisted logic could become our reality.
Join with American Family Voices and Public Citizen at a rally in your area to get big money out of politics – click here to find an event near you.
Thank you.
Lauren Windsor
Creative Director, American Family Voices
No comments:
Post a Comment