There are still places in America where sensible, commonsense regulations can be crafted in a bipartisan fashion. Montana is one of them.
Back in 2010, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy famously posited that unlimited corporate money donations could not possibly lead to corruption or any erosion of people’s faith in the fairness of elections. That fantasy theory became the law of the land as the Supreme Court ruled in favor of corporate “free speech” and Citizens United.
When I saw that Oregon became the latest state to call on Congress to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United it caused me to begin thinking. I know that in most civics classes we are taught how the Constitution is amended: A proposed amendment must be passed by a two-thirds majority in each house and then ratified by three-quarters of state legislatures. It seems straightforward and simple enough. The truth, however, is that it is not.
There are two ways to amend the United States Constitution. One is through the process mentioned above. In fact, all 27 amendments to the Constitution have been proposed and ratified in this manor. That said, there is another method, one which would allow proponents of a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United to bypass a congress highly unlikely to pass such an amendment. Follow below the fold.
Didja know that when Honest Abe ran for U.S. Congress in 1846 the whole shebang only ran him 75 cents? Trufax are fun.
I did not need the money. I made the canvass on my own horse; my entertainment, being at the houses of friends, cost me nothing; and my only outlay was 75 cents for a barrel of cider, which some farm-hands insisted I should treat to.
Yeah, yeah. But inflation. In today’s dollars 75 cents is about $18.90. Whoa.
So, here are some more words:
Money! It is money! Money! Money! Not ideas, nor principles, but money that reigns supreme in American politics. –Sen. Robert C. Byrd
I’ve been a part of the system for more than two decades, and personally raised millions in hard and soft dollars. I know that the endless pressures of raising money threaten the integrity of the legislative process and drain more and more time from my colleagues. –Rep. Henry Waxman
People who contribute get the ear of the member and the ear of the staff. They have the access and access is it. Access is power. Access is clout. That’s how this thing works. –Rep. Romano Mazzoli
I don’t think mistakes are just made at the edges. The entire process, even when conducted strictly within the law, invites corruption and erodes the confidence that the decisions made in our democracy are based on our representative honest judgment and deliberation about the best policies and the interests and opinions of all their constituents. –Sen. Bill Bradley
Democracy as we know it will be lost if we continue to allow government to become one bought by the highest bidder, for the highest bidder. Candidates will simply become bit players and pawns in a campaign managed and manipulated by paid consultants and hired guns. –Sen. Wendell Ford.
That’s all I got. If ya’ll see Joltin’ Joe running around anywhere, ping me, mmmkay? Danke.