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LETTERS / A New Era For Campaign Spending

Dear Editor,

The January 2010  U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Citizens United v. FEC, drastically impacted campaign finance contributions in the last election cycle. Over six billion dollars was spent releasing a torrent of manipulative attack ads. Instead of complaining about the results of this undemocratic decision, we want to find answers and take action with truth and love for our country.

 The preamble to the Constitution does not begin with “We the corporations,” or “We the unions, of the United States of America …” No, it states “We the people…”  And yet, the Supreme Court decided that those basic individual human rights then enumerated and bestowed in the Constitution must also be granted to unions, well-funded think tanks, and corporations – corporations that are simply legal entities, hold no personal responsibility, and can be effectively controlled by interests outside the U.S.A. In short, the Supreme Court decided that corporations are people and that money is the equivalent of “speech,” and therefore, that it is unconstitutional to limit campaign spending by corporations and the like.

 This is not a Republican or Democratic Party issue. This is about a corrupted election system with extraordinary amounts of money buying elections for candidates who are then beholden to private interests. The Court’s decision threatens the public interest.

 And the public is taking action. Seven states and over 300 communities across the country have passed resolutions supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution stating clearly that corporations are not people and that speech is not money.

 Please join with a local issue advocacy group who wish to do the same here, who disagree with the Supreme Court, and who feel that Congress must rightfully limit big money in the interest of fair and democratic elections. Click this link http://www.citizen.org/documents/updated-amendment-petition-form.pdf , print out the petition, sign it, and get your circle of friends and acquaintances to sign it too. The petitions will be submitted to elected officials in Watauga County as proof of citizen support; we will then urge the Town of Boone and the Watauga County Commissioners to pass a resolution calling on our NC congressional delegation to support and pass such an amendment. For more information email Paula: finckpaula@yahoo.com . Even better, attend our next meeting at the Watauga County public library on Thursday, February 7th at 5:30 PM.

                                                    

Sincerely,   

 

Paula Finck and David Finck