We need to take ALL money out of political campaigns

I just received a letter from Public Citizen 

asking me to help and support their efforts to push for an amendment to the Constitution to overturn Citizens United and other Supreme Court rulings that have granted $ billionaires and Big Business unprecedented power over our democracy.

To be exact, they do not want the constitution to treat a business or corporation as a person. This ruling has allowed unlimited campaign contributions from such $ billionaires as the Koch brothers. I’m glad to see this effort and I will do what I can. But this amendment falls short of what we really need to do—GET ALL MONEY OUT OF POLITICS.

I realize by trying to fix this country a lot of revolutionary people will condemn me for calling for anything short of a revolution. But in reality, taking all the money out of our elections would lead to a revolution. That is because the core of this system requires capitalism to be intertwined with elections and campaign contributions do that.

Instead of one man one vote, we have one dollar one vote. A poor person is lucky if they can contribute a few dollars to a campaign. But a $ billionaire can contribute $ millions. Candidates struggle for the approval of the $ billionaires. Before the campaign ads go on TV, the candidates have already tailored their messages to the rich contributors. The people then can approve of their message or not approve of it come election time. The $ billionaires make the message and the voters only get to vote yea or nay. The common voters are spectators and the $ billionaires are actors on the stage.

If all the money was taken out, then candidates could get news coverage from the mainstream press without being told they have to raise a certain amount of money—which is the system at present. News coverage would be equal for all candidates. No money could be raised. A government stipend could be given to all candidates. They could use that money for any type of campaigning they want. But all would have an equal amount and NO-ONE—THAT is RIGHT—NO-ONE could raise ANY campaign funds from ANY individuals. That would return our system to one man one vote. All elections would be based on ideas and not just throwing a name in people’s faces all the time.

How would this bring about a revolution? The wealthy people in this country would declare war on the rest of us. They would not just allow us to vote away their power. That would lead to civil war and we would then have our revolution.

What I’m saying is it is not enough to just ask that $billionaires and Bib Business to be treated separately as a single class of campaigners. We need to demand that all money be taken out of our political system. That would be revolutionary. It would lead to a REAL DEMOCRACY.

And that is what we REALLY need.

- សតិវ​ អតុ