To the Editor;
Are “We the People” Really Being Represented? In our democracy, We the People periodically elect fellow citizens (politicians) to represent us in the Halls of Congress, the White House and in our state government. But are our elected political leaders really representing us or are they beholden to the monied interests upon whom they are increasingly having to depend in order to get elected or re-elected?
As summarized by Rana Foroohar of the Financial Times on 11/21/22, “…The 2020 presidential election was the most expensive in history (with more than $14bn spent) and 2024 will most likely top that (we just saw the most expensive midterms ever).”
Unchecked or unregulated political spending poses real threats to our democracy because it:
•Mutes the voices of average Americans
•Enables foreign influence in elections
•Obstructs competition and innovation
•Undermines trust in government
To overcome the deleterious impact of Dark Money (unregulated money from unknown sources), we must amend the U.S. Constitution to reaffirm that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of individual human beings only (not corporations), and that money spent to influence elections is not protected free speech and may be regulated to ensure equal access to the political process for all Americans. Encourage your elected officials to support legislation that does this.
Jack W. Dean, Mattapoisett
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