It has started.

[Kevin M. Leonard]

Regardless of your political views, if you believe that money has corrupted the American Political System, I ask that you please sign this petition to amend the Constitution.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment:

"No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office."

http://www.getmoneyout.com/

If the servers have crashed please keep trying. Also, please send the link to everyone you know.

[Jeffrey R. Wicklander]

yeah....I'm sure those servers are really putting out smoke by now.

Jeff

[Kevin M. Leonard]

Originally Posted by jwicklander

yeah....I'm sure those servers are really putting out smoke by now.

Jeff

The site went live less than 3 hours ago with just over 6,000 signatures so far. It took me about 20 minutes to connect. I am not sure but different parts of the country might connect quicker.

[Michael Larson]

The Supreme court has already ruled that free speech rights extend to corporations as well as individuals in Citizens Unitied v. Election Commission striking down one of the provisions of McCain/Feingold.

If requiring full disclosure of all campaign contributions was the rule the problem would go away.

[Michael Larson]

don't be duped. This is more about another "free" holiday than about who contributions go to. How many federal holidays do we need for crying out loud.

Make election day Saturday and the problem is solved without another very expensive federal holiday.

........................Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office."

[Kevin M. Leonard]

Originally Posted by mlarson

The Supreme court has already ruled that free speech rights extend to corporations as well as individuals in Citizens Unitied v. Election Commission striking down one of the provisions of McCain/Feingold.

If requiring full disclosure of all campaign contributions was the rule the problem would go away.

I agree the SCOTUS made a huge mistake.

The least we can do is try Mike.

[Brian K. Smith]

Originally Posted by kleonard

I agree the SCOTUS made a huge mistake.

The least we can do is try Mike.

This really boils down to one SCOTUS judge, Justice Kennedy. My gut tells me this will be found unconstitutional. Imagine what kind of speech Barry would give if THAT happened?

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by kleonard

I agree the SCOTUS made a huge mistake.

The least we can do is try Mike.

Ratigan's effort here is a waste of time and with the inclusion of yet another Federal holiday it's a non starter.

Corporations running adds is not the problem.

When you have aggressive politicians trashing corporations you can't blame them for spending money to protect themselves.

It's still a free country for now.

[Christopher Currins]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Corporations running adds is not the problem.

Corporations running the World is the problem.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by ccurrins

Corporations running the World is the problem.

And what about our political leaders

[Kevin M. Leonard]

Originally Posted by mlarson

And what about our political leaders

Our Political leaders are the ones who have sold us out.

This is no secret nor has it been for years.

Get Money Out: We the People, not the Politicians
September 23, 2011

Today, the America I see is more corrupt than I have ever seen in my entire life. I am ashamed of this country, angry, because our current political order mocks the phrase “we the people”.
Today I’m starting a series on money and politics with my friends at the Huffington Post. The first segment is on at 4pm, and we’re going to go into the history of how our government has been blocked from its people by a wall of money. But first, I think it’s worth pointing out that politicians have been talking, and pandering, on this topic for decades.

Let’s start with this attack ad from 2004, by George W. Bush attacking John Kerry on his dependence on special interest money. Amazing, both because it’s true that Kerry was awash in corrupt cash, and because it’s so brazenly hypocritical for Bush to have made that accusation.


But this problem goes back a long time. Here’s Jimmy Carter, on our broken system.

“I have been accused of being an outsider,” he says. “I plead guilty. Unfortunately, the vast majority of Americans are also outsiders. We are not going to get changes by simply shifting around the same groups of insiders, the same tired old rhetoric, the same unkept promises and the same divisive appeals to one party, one faction, one section of the country, one race or religion or one interest group. The insiders have had their chances and they have not delivered. Their time has run out.”

Here’s Ronald Reagan in his first inaugural:

We hear much of special interest groups. Well, our concern must be for a special interest group that has been too long neglected. It knows no sectional boundaries or ethnic and racial divisions, and it crosses political party lines. It is made up of men and women who raise our food, patrol our streets, man our mines and factories, teach our children, keep our homes, and heal us when we’re sick–professionals, industrialists, shopkeepers, clerks, tabbies, and truck drivers. They are, in short, “We the people,” this breed called Americans.

And Bill Clinton:

Americans deserve better, and in this city today, there are people who want to do better. And so I say to all of us here, let us resolve to reform our politics, so that power and privilege no longer shout down the voice of the people.

In 2008, here’s chief campaign strategist on Hillary Clinton:

“She has represented change all her life,” says Mark Penn, her chief strategist , “and she’s been fighting the special interests all her life.”

And here’s Barack Obama while running for President:

“Washington is severely broken. And I think the system is rigged, and I think it’s rigged against the American people and it’s rigged by powerful interests and their lobbyists in Washington.”

Every politician out there is going to rail against special interests, except, ironically, the ones who are honest about working in a corrupt system. It’s up to us, to we the people, to claim this government as ours. It’s not going to happen because we placed our trust in a class of people who repeatedly betray us. It’s going to happen because of people who put their bodies on the line, like those at the #TakeWallStreet protests. Like them or not, they have decided that enough is enough. And I think I’ve decided the same.

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by kleonard

Our Political leaders are the ones who have sold us out.

Then I am forced to assume that people like you (or at least your neighbors)keep re-electing them.

Think about it. this "amendment" will go absolutely nowhere because the very people you want hurt are the ones that will have to enact it.

Take care of your crap politicians first.

But if you want to spin yours wheels, go for it.