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Campaign Finance Reform
“Private financing of elections corrodes our democracy. Private contributions to federal elections must end. Private financing equals government in the private interest. Public financing: the hope of government in the public interest. We need to restore democracy and end private contributions. We shouldn't have any contributions from special interests. We need government of the people, by the people and for the people returned.” - Dennis
The great challenge before us today is whether we can maintain a government of the people, by the people and for the people, or whether we will timidly accept the economic, social, and political consequences of a government of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations. The funding of elections dictates who controls our political process. Corporate control of campaign financing leads to corporate control of the government itself. Public control of the political process requires public financing.
Less than 1% of the U.S. population contributes 80% of the money in federal elections.
The restoration of our American democracy depends upon public financing. This is not an academic argument. Establishing public financing of our political system is essential to solving the great problems that face us today and creating a better way of life for every American. Progress on every important issue in American society today –economic, social and political – will not be achieved until the public controls the financing of campaigns and the political process.
In his dissent of the Citizens' United decision, Justice Stevens somberly remarked “The Court’s ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions across the Nation.” Since that decision was issued, we have only seen an increased corporate stranglehold on our government.
We need a new relationship between our government and corporate America, an arms-length relationship, so that our elected leaders are capable of independently affirming and safeguarding the public interest. Just as our founders understood the need for separation of church and state, we need to institutionalize the separation of corporations and the state.
To save our democracy, we must turn to the document that established it. Let us renew the Constitution by amending it, requiring public financing to redeem from the perishable fires of corporate control an imperishable government of the people, by the people, and for the people.