Money in Politics

Money in Politics is Subverting our Democracy.

Political donations from wealthy individuals and organizations have been a problem for many years. Some are tempted to say that ours is the best democracy that money can buy. An outstanding This American Life radio program gives a penetrating view of the problems that money has caused in the past in the actual words of both politicians and lobbyists who want to see this problem ended.

The 2010 Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court and subsequent federal court decisions — in the name of First Amendment freedom of speech — opened the door to unlimited political contributions by wealthy individuals, corporations, labor unions, and other special interest groups, thus undermining our democracy. The 2014 Supreme Court decision in McCutcheon vs. FEC further opened the floodgates.

moneyThere is widespread agreement that money and politics don’t mix in a true democracy. Witness the March, 2014, spectacle of Republican presidential hopefuls making a pilgrimage to Las Vegas to audition for billionaire political donor Sheldon Adelson.

In 2012, a local group, Concerned Citizens of Baker City, introduced a resolution calling for a Constitutional Amendment overturning Citizens United by allowing regulation of political contributions by federal and state legislators. The resolution was approved unanimously by the Baker City Council on June 26, 2012.

To date, 17 Oregon cities and 2 Oregon counties have passed similar resolutions.
On July 1, 2013, the Oregon legislature passed House Joint Memorial 6, which urges the U.S. Congress to propose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would overturn the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision! Oregon thus became the 16th state to pass such a resolution.

To date, a total of 16 states have passed similar resolutions and resolutions have been introduced in 21 additional states.

Please visit the Concerned Citizens of Baker City’s website for more information, and join us in overcoming Citizens United.


Paid for by the Baker County Democratic Central Committee,
and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.