by Tom Cherry Helena
Please note that this evening’s national TV advertising is depriving down-ballot candidates and offices of their due airtime and respect. In one fell-swoop, buying our democracy and elections in full view!
Signatures are currently being gathered for Initiative-194 (The Montana Plan), a great opportunity to restore some Montana campaign finance regulation. Yes, this is the one that will make the federal Citizens-United case irrelevant. But it needs to get on the November ballot by way of enough signatures on petitions to request just that. Good-Government advocates of all persuasions are working on this for YOU.
In effect, a decade of stay-in-power stuff has nationalized our elections. Priorities like housing, daycare, to name only a few, left at the wayside for you to continue losing sleep over. A simple adaptation of existing state law provisions can get us back to a semblance of normal: reclaim this State’s authority to define the powers corporations, PACs, and other artificial entities can pursue within our boundaries.
By dominating our airwaves, the special interests dominate our political process. Don’t be fooled by those business types who have come to like today’s status quo. The Copper-Collar of days gone-by would fit them nicely.
I-194 will not silence any individual. The opposition doesn’t even want this on the ballot; actual people rendering a ruling of their own seems to bother them. Enough is enough! Corporate dominance has to be reigned in. The whole System has now been rigged to bias business’ interests over our taxpayers. In some respects, recent years’ practice is how a good number of billionaires became billionaires in the first place. Lasting Value has gone away in far too many ways.
Workers are the source of innovation that Wall Streeters have profited from! To be sure, this is one form of corporate engineering that we can do without. Certainly, something to think about over the next few days.
You can probably feel the bipartisan interest in stopping the insane unfairness. The appearance of co-rrup-tion, if nothing else. But the working-stiff’s “window” can always be closed tighter. Local officials are much more community-oriented and perhaps more important to long-term viability of our state in these troubling, uncertain times.
The must-read language of I-194 is available at MontanaPlan.org. It will also direct you to opportunities to sign the petition to get the measure on to November’s ballot or get involved further. This could be at least one step toward a healthier democracy and electorate.
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