MONEY = INFLUENCE

The above equation, as simple as it is, sums up what I believe to be the one thing that if change, would have a major impact on our society and the political process……

I have paraphrased an excerpt from OpenSecrets.org to give you a brief overview of the issue and its history.

HISTORY: In the early days of our nation, most people assumed that political leaders would be well-to-do, or else supported by the well-to-do. Either way, they expected government officials to openly represent the interests of prosperous businessmen and large landowners — and, by and large, they did.

There has been much improvement since then as the historic social movements have been responsible for the evolution of American democracy focusing primarily on electoral participation — especially voting rights and electoral finance. These movements achieved great victories: winning the right to vote for African-Americans and women as examples.

All of these struggles can be seen as efforts to nullify the undemocratic influence of the moneyed elites on the political process, but none directly challenged the primary institution by which the moneyed elites exercised political control….privately financed election campaigns..

Most of the motivation for changing the system of campaign financing has usually come as a result of scandal, which in almost every instance politicians, even the most well-meaning ones, have succeeded in blunting any attempts at serious reform, if not actually turning reforms to their own political advantage.

On the federal level, campaign finance regulation was virtually non-existent until just after the Civil War. Then in 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt argued for a ban on all political contributions by corporations, and, in 1907 called for public financing of federal candidates via candidates’ political parties followed by the Congress passing the Tillman Act.

There have been many attempts at correcting the monstrosity that our political election process has become but little real change has been made, significant enough to address the real issue…..money buying influence. Every time money affects a political campaign or a vote, yea or nay, for a piece of legislation, your vote at the ballot box is negated!

When the halls of our legislatures are packed with Lobbyists and well financed Special Interest Groups, what chance do you and I have to be represented? Hypocrisy and “political prostitution” is so open and widespread that votes are swayed minutes before every ballot! And what is more mind-blowing is that politicians will vote exactly opposite to what they promised, pledged and actually believe themselves for the right price!

Why? Because they are whores, hacks and spineless individuals who kowtow to the fattest wallet! Until we affect real change and genuinely commit to a complete overhaul of our electoral process and political system as it pertains to money; then, and only then can we make the course correction to get our democracy back on the track our Founding Father set for us.