Stop shadowy campaign donations

The Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court gave the extremely wealthy and corporations unaccountable power to buy elections. Corporate power caused our current damaging, long-term, deep recession by buying Congress killing any controls over them. Now they are flooding our TV and Internet with slick Madison Avenue ads aimed at stopping any candidate who seeks to stand up to them. Karl Rove's American Crossroads is among the worst, so he do even worse damage than the last time.

A big step for democracy took place Sept. 30, when the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Max Baucus, called for an investigation of corporate front groups and asked the IRS to conduct a full investigation not only of Karl Rove's AC but all groups improperly using tax-exempt status to hide their donors names and manipulate elections. These groups are really “political committees and need to be required to disclose the names of their donors like any other political committee.

Angry citizens must take action now to change this disastrous trend of loss of Democracy so that our nation and grandchildren can have a decent future. The Supreme Court decision made it very hard to fight back, but there is a way to stop those buying elections by hiding behind nonprofit laws to wreak their havoc on our liberties: full investigation of AC and the other shadow groups.

Please contact your U.S. legislators to ensure a full investigation takes place. Two websites, americancrossroadswatch.org and protectourelections.org, make it easy to do that and help you join others who understand the vital importance of fair elections.

Paul E. Sjordal

Naperville