Democracy shouldn't be for sale

Our democracy, set in place by our Founding Fathers to be citizen-led, is in danger these days of being taken over by a number of highly wealthy contributors who are busy setting up Super Political Action Committees.

The PACs will be use by these wealth donors to support the hand-picked candidates they choose for every state. That includes the election of senators, representatives, governors, and yes, our next president. The PACs are able to raise many millions of dollars, commonly from sources undisclosed.

It is thus called "dark money." And these PACS are shifting into high gear to buy our democracy for themselves. It has been said that the Koch brothers are but one example of the new normal. They boast about their plan to spend $899 million on the 2016 elections.

The Supreme Court, in its "Citizens United" ruling, removed the ban on corporations and organizations from using money in their own treasuries for direct advocacy support in elections. At that time, an important safety wall was broken down. Many of the reforms put into place trough the efforts of Senator John McCain (R) and former Senator Russell Feingold (D) are in tatters because of "Citizens United" mischief.

We want meaningful campaign finance reports, and weed them now. We each owe it to ourselves and to our very futures to be sure to make an informed vote at election times, a privilege people in many countries long for. We need the super PACs to be put in place and forced to concede that our democracy is not for sale.

Pat Nelson

Elgin