Shapiro said. "If we allow corporate America to buy our elections, we will not be better off as a commonwealth or a nation. ---- I disagree. What the USSC has done is make it possible for American lobbyists to regain control of our politicians from foreign lobby groups like AIPAC.
choose sides carefully On Mar 9, 9:57 pm, Daniel Seigler <[email protected]> wrote: > these guys want a Constitutional Convention? are they crazy, stupid, or > trying to take over the country? Either way, imo, we ALL need to get this > shut down. Remember, once a CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION is called, there are > NO CHEKCS on what they produce, to include scrapping the ENTIRE CONSTITUTION > and putting something MUCH WORSE in place. > > http//www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_ne... > > in case that link don't work, i will copy/paste teh story in it's entirety... > > A call for spending limits > > TEXT SIZE > By: CHRIS ENGLISH > The Intelligencer > > Steve Santarsiero and four other state representatives chose an appropriate > place for proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would place > limits on campaign contributions and spending. > > Recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court have hurt the cause of reasonable > limits on campaign contributions and spending, said state Rep. Steve > Santarsiero, D-31. > > He and four of his colleagues would like to reclaim that lost ground, and > during a news conference Friday at the National Constitution Center in > Philadelphia, they called for a federal convention to incorporate > contribution and spending limits into the U.S. Constitution. > > Having those provisions actually in the constitution would prevent the > Supreme Court from chipping away at them, Santarsiero said. He was joined > Friday by fellow state representatives Matthew Bradford, D-70 (parts of > Montgomery County); Josh Shapiro, D-153 (parts of Montgomery County); Babette > Josephs, D-182 (South Philadelphia) and Brendan Boyle, D-170 (parts of > Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County). > > The five lawmakers said they will introduce a resolution for a convention and > try to get it passed by the state House and Senate sometime in the spring. > Then, they will push to have two-thirds of all state legislatures in the > country pass the resolution so it can be put before the U.S. Congress and a > convention can be held to change the constitution. > > According to Santarsiero, the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision giving > corporations the same right to free speech as individuals has effectively > nullified important sections of federal campaign finance laws. That may cause > challenges to the progressive limits on contributions and expenses already > imposed on the federal, state and local levels of government. > > "In January, the Supreme Court issued its decision in the Citizens United > case," Santarsiero said at Friday's event. "In one stroke the court struck > down key limitations in federal campaign finance law, opening the flood gates > to a potential, or likely, deluge of corporate and union money and influence > in the American political process." > > He continued: "We are not here today to debate the Supreme Court's analysis > of the law or the question of whether the term 'person' should be defined so > broadly so as to include corporations and unions. Instead, we are here to > propose a new amendment to the United States Constitution and, in doing so, > to ask our colleagues in the House and Senate and in every state legislature > across the country, as well as the United States Congress, to take up this > cause and make this proposal a reality." > > Advertisement > > A constitutional amendment is the surest way to lasting campaign finance > reform, Santarsiero said. > > "The amendment we seek would give Congress and the states the power to limit > not only campaign contributions, but spending as well," he said. "In so > doing, it would allow them to enact needed reforms in the way our political > system is financed without the fear that they would be invalidated later as > violating the First Amendment's right to free speech." > > Santarsiero and the other four lawmakers favor incorporating Federal Election > Commission campaign contribution limits into all levels of government. Those > regulations limit individual contributions to $2,400 per person in each > election and special interest political action committees to $5,000 per > election. That's the same position taken by Republican Newtown Township > Supervisor Rob Ciervo, the likely opponent for Santarsiero in the November > election. > > Ciervo laid out his own views on campaign finance reform during a press > conference in Harrisburg Thursday. > > The five state representatives at Friday's event in Philadelphia also want > limits on how much each candidate can spend on an election, though specific > numbers would have to be worked out, they said. Millionaire and billionaire > political candidates should not be able to buy their way into office, they > said. > > "It's a dangerous precedent the Supreme Court has set, and we must reverse > it," Shapiro said. "If we allow corporate America to buy our elections, we > will not be better off as a commonwealth or a nation. We have to get this > done. Campaign finance is the critical reform of the decade." > > The newspaper was unsuccessful in its attempts Friday to reach Ciervo for > comment. > > Santarsiero represents Lower Makefield, Yardley, Newtown, Newtown Township > and a small part of Upper Makefield. > > Chris English can be reached at 215-949-4193 or [email protected]. > > March 07, 2010 03:16 AM > > _________________________________________________________________ > Hotmail: Trusted email with Microsoft’s powerful SPAM > protection.http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469226/direct/01/ -- Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more.
