FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: George Penn, 608-244-6436, [email protected]
Nine Communities to Vote to Reclaim Democracy from Moneyed Interests
Madison, WI (March 27, 2016) – On Tuesday, April 4th, Wisconsin residents in nine communities will vote on whether to amend the U.S. Constitution to clarify that only humans should have constitutional rights and that money is not the same as speech and political spending can be limited to allow all Americans to participate in the democratic process.
Voters will cast ballots in Racine, Monona, Blue Mounds, Fox Crossing and the towns of Neshkoro, Crystal Lake, Caledonia, Blue Mounds and Jordan.
If all vote in favor, 106 Wisconsin communities will have called for the We The People amendment. Nationwide, 18 state legislatures have done likewise, as have more than 730 towns, villages, cities, and counties.
“We cannot solve any of the pressing issues in front of our country as long as our politicians do not represent us and they won’t until we get the big money out of politics,” said Racine resident Bill Earley.
Multiple polls show over 90% of Americans, regardless of party, think special interest money has too much influence in American political campaigns.
“The vast majority of voters know their voices aren’t being heard by their representatives. Politicians take their orders from the moneyed interests that keep them in office,” said Karen Ingvoldstat, a reformer in Marquette County.
Former State Senator Dale Schultz, summed it up well. "We're talking about billionaires turning this country into a Russian-style oligarchy, where there are two dozen billionaires who buy the whole political process... we are awash in money because of Citizens United, and it puts good people in both parties in a difficult situation."
One volunteer, Waltraud Brinkmann of Monona, expressed frustration: “Citizens in 97 Wisconsin communities have passed resolutions calling for an amendment. We need state legislators to put it on a statewide ballot, but they won’t even let the bills have a public hearing!”
The roots of the problem run deeper than Citizens United. Over a century ago Robert M. La Follette spoke out against corruption wrought by the "concessions and privileges" given to corporations by legislators. “Why,” he asked, “in a government where the people are sovereign, why are these things tolerated?”
United To Amend is a non-partisan, grassroots movement. For more information: wiuta.org
Background material can be obtained here: pdf1, pdf2 and pdf3. Link to this press release.
Image Source: United To Amend
Senator Dale Schultz presentation, March 7, 2014 at the L.D. Fargo Public Library, Lake Mills, WI.