Get corporate money out of politics

Tax Day has come and gone, and corporate-friendly lawmakers in Washington {like a local member of Congress} are complaining that the reason big business isn’t creating jobs is because corporations are over taxed. But G.E., the biggest U.S. corporation made $14.2 billion in profits, paid $0 in taxes and cut 20 percent of U.S. jobs. What gives?

The only way this makes sense is if you account for the Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Commission. The ruling says that corporations can spend any amount they want to help support or defeat a candidate for an elected office. This means that lawmakers who want to cozy up to corporations can get a serious boost in their campaign funds if they do what corporate America asks.

Apparently corporate America doesn’t have to pay taxes like working people. They just hire lawyers. Thankfully, the Fair Election Now Act was reintroduced in Congress. If this bill passes, candidates for Congress can run viable campaigns on small donations matching public funds instead of being in the corporations’ pockets.

Lawmakers are supposed to work for the people. It’s time they started! Passing the Fair Elections Now Act and a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizen United would go a long way toward getting Washington and the rest of us back to work.

Don Regan

Antioch