Opinion: Support fight against corporate influence of elections

Jan 23, 2022

To the Editor:

This letter is supportive of Jack W. Dean’s “Letter to the editor: Corporations are not people” published January 18, 2022. 

January 21, 2022, marked the 12th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United decision, a controversial decision that reversed century-old campaign finance restrictions enabling corporations and other outside groups to pump a staggering $1.2 billion into the 2020 elections. 

While wealthy donors, corporations, and special interest groups have long enjoyed an enormous influence in elections, their influence expanded significantly since the Citizens United decision. 

One can view campaign donations by the ultra-rich as a profitable investment buying them access to politicians, influence over tax, and other policies that will save them billions of dollars. 

As Mr. Dean said, “Corporations are not people,” and billionaires should not have the outsized opportunity to use their enormous wealth to pick and choose who they want in office. Citizens United has to go. Big money in politics has to go. Weak taxation of the wealthy and weak regulation of campaign fundraising has to go.  

We need to level the political playing field; U.S. democracy depends on it. Please encourage your Congressional representative to continue supporting and passing HJR.48. 

Eileen J. Marum 

Marion