By James Cimino
To those who oppose campaign finance reform, let’s say that a small group of wealthy, Wiccan, socialist abortion providers move to town.
They buy more and more of the local property and become major investors in local businesses.
It gets to the point that one is unable to purchase any goods or services without, in some way, sending money in the direction of these wealthy, Wiccan, socialist abortion providers.
Local, legal limitations to their acquisitions and consolidation of assets keep getting relaxed or worked around you think to yourself and wonder aloud to friends and neighbors, “How are they able to get so much power, control so much of our town’s resources?”
Then, the stories come in about these folks taking the city council and mayor out for dinners, giving money to their campaigns, using their acquired influence to assist local leaders on pet projects and exchanging information about investments that will help everyone.
You can still go to the offices and meetings of your local officials and state your opinion, but you mostly talk to half interested staff.
Your frustration grows until you scream, “How can I be heard if the context, content and conversation is dominated by the access given to these wealthy, Wiccan, socialist abortion providers?”
When money and free speech are equated, three things happen: legalized bribery, the speech of wealthy interests is amplified over the rest of us, and time is spent fundraising instead of listening to and educating voters on the complex issues facing them.