- United States
- Ore.
- Letter
The corrupting influence of corporate money in politics has gone too far. It is crucial to end corporations' ability to essentially buy influence and favor through massive donations to political campaigns, conventions, and inauguration events. Measures must be taken to limit corporate donations, institute public financing of elections, overturn disastrous Supreme Court rulings like Citizens United, and establish a robust enforcement agency to regulate campaign finance laws. By banning corporate donations to the Democratic National Convention and related committees, as well as all corporate funding for inauguration events, a significant first step can be made to remove this corrosive flow of special interest funds. Furthermore, enacting mandatory public financing laws for federal elections would help create a level playing field free from the outsized influence of wealthy donors and corporations. Perhaps most critically, a Constitutional amendment is needed to firmly establish that money is not equivalent to free speech, and that corporations are not entitled to the same rights as individuals when it comes to political spending. This would overturn rulings like Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo that have enabled the current deluge of corporate cash in elections. Replacing the toothless Federal Election Commission with a true law enforcement body like the proposed Federal Election Administration is also essential. This new agency, staffed with independent ethics enforcers, would actually have the power to levy penalties and combat violations of campaign finance laws. The status quo of corporations essentially purchasing political power and access cannot be allowed to continue. Comprehensive reforms stripping away corporate money's dominance in politics are urgently needed to restore the integrity of America's democracy.
