Inalienable Rights versus Abuse

From Chapter 19 – Government, Politics and Money The reader probably knows about the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs the Federal Election Commission . The Court decided that corporations have the same First Amendment right to free speech as individual citizens have. This was in relation to expressing views either for or against particular political candidates. I believe that financial contributions were interpreted by the Court as an expression of free speech which is possibly why super pacs and corporations can and do contribute huge sums of money to certain candidates. Some people have devoted considerable time and energy to getting this decision repealed. If and when that happens, it will not solve the problem of money's negative influence on American politics. Ending the culture of abuse depends greatly on the actions of politicians. What are Washington, D.C. politicians doing? 1. They spend precious time raising money for their next election campaign—time not devoted to the citizens. Some congressional representatives seem to think it is more important to do what benefits their districts/constituents as opposed to what would benefit the country as a whole. The same with senators and the states that elect them. 2. They are being influenced by affluence. The study "Responsiveness in an Era of Inequality" by Thomas Hayes compared the voting records of Senators in the 107th through the 111th Congresses with the opinions of the senators' constituents. This study found that the senators voted in accordance with the opinions of their wealthiest constituents. The opinions of lower class constituents did not appear to have any effect on the senators' votes. The Democratic and Republican senators deserve credit for being present for those votes rather than campaigning in their home states. 3. They are collecting large salaries and benefits. According to an About.com article "Salaries and Benefits of U.S. Congress Members" by Robert Longley , the 2012 annual salary for rank and file House and Senate members was $174,000. That put all members of Congress in the top 10 percent of earners in 2012. That amount does not include retirement and health benefits. They also receive an annual allowance to help pay for the expense of executing their congressional duties. In 2012, House members received an average allowance of $1,353,205; Senate members, $7.9 million. ---------------------------- (CITIZENS UNITED v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION 2010) (Hayes 2011) (Longley 2015) i. 2010. CITIZENS UNITED v. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION. January 21. Accessed February 9, 2016. http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/09pdf/08-205.pdf. ii. Hayes, Thomas J. 2011. Responsiveness in an Era of Inequality: The Case of the U.S. Senate. November 21. Accessed February 7, 2016. http://ssrn.com/abstract=1900856. iii. Longley, Robert. 2015. Salaries and Benefits of US Congress Members: The Truth. September 24. Accessed February 7, 2016. http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm?p=1.