In our democracy, the depth of your pocket should not dictate the volume of your voice

That's right folks, and a town in Maryland has passed a unanimous bill virtually guaranteeing that big money donors are not the only voices heard in campaigns; creating the first program in the state for small-donor fair elections.

Source

“Montgomery County made history by unanimously passing Bill 16-14, creating the first program in Maryland for small-donor fair elections,” said Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, executive director of Common Cause Maryland.  “We praise the action Council took today. They showed strong support for this critical program, and backed up their words with strong action.”

That's great news. This trend, although is small and local, helps to create an atmosphere of voices that want to be heard, not drownded out by big money politics. This may not win the war, however; this battle is a victory.



Maryland however, is not not the only state taking action against big money politics. Recently Montana voted to ban dark money all together, saying "this is the most significant day in the last 112 years."



Source

Ankney praised Rep. Frank Garner, R-Kalispell, who carried the bill in the House and was targeted by a dark money group, inspiring him to carry the bill. He said he told Garner, "You want a flier against you that says 'he voted for dark money' or do you want to send a flier that says, 'I voted to send those damn carpetbaggers out of the state?'"

a reply to: Daedal

Good, American lobbynomics is why dynastic bloodlines continue to shaft the citizenry and it must be reigned-in.

“This $1 million investment is a down-payment for a stronger democracy.......said Kate Planco Waybright, executive director of Progressive Maryland.
“In our democracy......said Maryland PIRG Director Emily Scarr.

America is not a democracy. It is a Constitutional Republic. Sorry to be a terminology/political persuasion nazi here but the beautiful thing about the Constitution is that it affords equal protections to the individual as it does to the collective.

Australia is a Democracy - the craziest loudest and most popular wins (read - mob rule).

It's almost as if these little idiosyncrasies were a deliberate attempt to further erode the true meaning of the Constitution............either that or some US politicians (local, State and Federal) are not very well informed. (I am betting the latter - spurred on by very well informed individuals wishing to erode the US as it stands)

Well if money is the measurement of purchasing power, and thus a measurement of freedom, why can't it buy votes?

I'm not saying it should. The system, everywhere, is indeed corrupt and only working in favor of a small handful of greedy people.

But how will more laws change things for the better?

I have a feeling the economy needs changing first.

Perhaps if money wasn't what dictates the purchasing power (freedom) of an individual...?

a reply to: Sparkymedic

In Montana for instance, the attorney General tried to use a century old law entitled ' Corrupt Practices Act of 1912,' however, he was struck down while trying to defend the law before the Supreme Court.

So adding a new law, from what it appears, was the only way to move forward.

With special interests buying the political process, thereby influencing legislative practices and virtually guaranteeing themselves an economic foothold; depriving politicians from accepting money from lobbyists could help our economic situation so laws reflect the people not corporations and globalism.

a reply to: Daedal

Good for them! However, issues that directly affect citizens should be voted by citizens at the ballot booth instead of by local, state and federal representatives. Our representatives no longer protect our rights. They posses way too much power and it's littered with corruption and self-serving individuals. If they control what they're worth and police themselves, how can Americans trust them or represent them when it's like kids guarding the cookie jar!

If this issue was on the ballot, in addition to term limits, financing social security, government spending, tax laws, health care. representatives salary and benefits, campaign finance reform and abolishing lobbying, I would guarantee we would have the largest voter turn out in American history!!

American Democracy was put up for sale to the highest bidder the moment the Supreme Court determined money was a form of Free Speech.

In 1976 via Buckley v. Valeo "The Supremes" defacto gave money 1st Amendment Protection.

The voter has a "choice" between Bought-and-paid-for Candidate "A", or Bought-and-paid-for Candidate "B". To be more accurate, the *illusion* of choice.

When you own both candidates, you never lose an election and you are certain to own whomever "Wins".

Just jumped on the thread to be sure someone straightened you out as to the fact that we are NOT a democracy. I see Sublime was on it post #1.

a reply to: jtma508


That's all you have to add is semantics. Boy, thanks for clearing that up...glad we got your permission to proceed.

a reply to: jtma508

If your government is elected by a democratic voting process, then it is democratic, no matter what else it might happen to be. An accurate description of the American political process is that America is a Constitutional Republic, overseen and governed by a Democratically elected body of representatives.

When the representatives are virtually employed by corporate interests, rather than owing their only fealty to the people as a whole, the Democratic element is erroded, which means that your average man or woman in the street looses their voice. Democracy and Republicanism in the US are not at all mutually exclusive, and in the particular case of America are infact both necessary for their mutual survival as concepts within the system.

a reply to: Daedal

It's not semantics my friend. The entire basis of your position presupposes that we're being treated unfairly. That would only be true if we WERE a democracy. Since we're not, 'they' can make the rules that dictate what's fair and what's not and we have no say in the matter. Rather than a democracy we are more similar to a feudal system (everything run and owned by the elite) or a corporatocracy.

a reply to: jtma508

Thanks for being informative. Whether or not we are a democracy, republic or a feudal system; little steps such as this help people to become aware of something they otherwise may not have known, regardless of what the tag line is, IMO at least.

Just opening up the conversation is the beginning, and catching peoples attention with something they identify with. Informing people of things like you and sublimecraft have done, leads the conversation elsewhere for further discussion, as you've pointed out.

Have a good day...

a reply to: Daedal

Yea, we have this conversation on a regular basis. Things have gotten to the point where it is going to take something of epic and frightening proportions to turn things around. It's not just a USA problem. It has permeated the entire globe. Things may be dressed-up differently on a country-by-country basis in order to meld better with local heritage and culture, but the very same forces are at work. They have had enough time to engineer the system to the point where there is no way to simply 'vote for change'. It is way, way beyond that I'm afraid.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

America is not a democracy. It is a Constitutional Republic. Sorry to be a terminology/political persuasion nazi here but the beautiful thing about the Constitution is that it affords equal protections to the individual as it does to the collective.

It's a shame this notion of "democracy" has been shoved into peoples heads, and accepted so readily, when all one need do is read the constitution...

“The United States shall guarantee to every state in this Union a Republican Form of Government . . . .”

...as well as the founding fathers own statements.

But then, it's also shameful that every rich man in the world knows our government is for hire to the highest bidder.

i have heard a really wealth person recently say they should have more votes then a poor person
the poor person answered that there were richer people then the rich guy and they would then out vote him


corporations having the rights of a person but not the liabilities
the second coming of the ( sons of the gods) Titans of old run by their modern decendant family menbers

I always find it odd that people who complain about money in politics never have anything to say about unions and other liberal groups spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy elections. I mean if it is bad for a corporation to lobby, isn't it equally as bad for a union to do so?

I don't disagree that politics is being corrupted by money, but at least be consistent about the outrage.

originally posted by: Edumakated
I always find it odd that people who complain about money in politics never have anything to say about unions and other liberal groups spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buy elections. I mean if it is bad for a corporation to lobby, isn't it equally as bad for a union to do so?

I don't disagree that politics is being corrupted by money, but at least be consistent about the outrage.

Want to compare notes between the power of Unions vs Corporations and Banks over our Government?

I'll start!

We'll start with the money in lobbying alone:

1998-2015

www.opensecrets.org...

TOP LOBBYING SECTORS 1998-2015


Misc Business $6,475,074,239
Health $6,382,737,984
Finance/Insur/RealEst $6,361,287,751
Communic/Electronics $5,206,690,371
Energy/Nat Resource $4,706,049,338
Other $3,350,694,508
Transportation $3,219,680,597
Ideology/Single-Issue $2,073,159,556
Agribusiness $1,910,858,997
Defense $1,819,714,550
Construction $694,573,137
Labor $629,156,951
Lawyers & Lobbyists $429,259,405

Labor which includes Public and Private Unions spent around 629 million while Big Business, Defense and so on spent 33 Billion combined.

That is like me giving a million bucks to a politician while complaining about the little guy giving him a dollar.

The government does not care about unions are the little people anyways

represent.us...
Study: Congress literally doesn’t care what you think

They listen to the deep pockets.


So how long has then been going on?

en.wikipedia.org...

Lobbying activity exploded during the last few decades. Money spent on lobbying increased from "tens of millions to billions a year," by one estimate.[18] In 1975, total revenue of

Washington lobbyists was less than $100 million; by 2006, it exceeded $2.5 billion.

Before the mid 1970s, it was rare that a congressperson upon retirement would work for a lobbying firm and when it did occasionally happen, it "made eyebrows rise.

And today we have this as a sampling

www.opensecrets.org...

The revolving door in Washington DC

35 out of 40 Goldman Sachs lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
53 out of 61 Citigroup Inc lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
58 out of 69 JPMorgan Chase & Co lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
20 out of 25 Morgan Stanley lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs


85 out of 114 General Electric lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
36 out of 48 Koch Industries lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
116 out of 141 Comcast Corp lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
76 out of 103 Wal-Mart Stores lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
22 out of 30 Monsanto Co lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs



69 out of 109 Lockheed Martin lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
40 out of 51 Honeywell International lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
51 out of 67 Raytheon Co lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
96 out of 133 General Dynamics lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
32 out of 49 Northrop Grumman lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs
83 out of 115 Boeing Co lobbyists in 2013-2014 have previously held government jobs

Show me the Revolving Door Union Members?


So what has the last 30 years of corporate lobbyist rule brought us?

NAFTA
China Trade
OBamacare
Banker Bailouts
TPP
"Citizens" United
Stangant and Decling Wages while the majority of gains go to the top in control of policy

Your Turn

Maybe not deep pockets but even the poor, who are subsidized by the government are being incentivized to stand up for big government

Where do you stop with this though ?

Should every person in the USA get a free page in the NY Times to talk about their political preferences ?

If I can afford one, are you gonna take my voice away because you can't ?

a reply to: jacobe001

You can't say contributions by one group is bad, but contributions by another group is ok. You are being hypocritical which is my point. I don't care for lobbying of any kind by special interests. Many of you are just mad that conservative special interest may out spend liberal special interest.

A quick Google search points out the flaw in the opensecrets data. It doesn't include all the union contributions that take place at state and local levels to sway elections which quite frankly are often far more important than the Federal for your average citizen. It just includes the Senate reported data according to the fine print. In addition, corporate donations often are split relatively equal between both Democrats and Republicans as corporations are lobbying to protect business interest and could really give a sh*t about party affiliation. On the other hand, labor unions send nearly all of their money to Democrats. You can't even measure the effects of unions busing in voters to sway elections either.

As an example, the open secrets data says only like $9 million was spent in 2015 by labor. Unions spent damn near $300 million just trying to unseat Scott Walker and four other Republican Governors in 2014.

Regardless, I am not arguing about who gives more. The point is that if you want to get money out of politics, you need to get it all out of politics regardless if the money supports your side or not.

The progressive democrats control the media establishment. Corporations give $ to (legal) pacs and organizations to get their voices heard. Corporate voices frequently oppose the progdems. They are evil. They must be silenced.

thing is, a huge amount of the corporate $ goes to the dems. lots and lots of donors give to both sides. So it's not in either party's interests to put a halt to this, though a fair amount of true-believer fanatics on the left will push for it.

I don't see mega$ donations going away any time soon.