Need I-735 for elections

The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations have the same freedom of speech rights that were individual rights protected by the Constitution. It also ruled that money, which had been considered as property, is now a form of free speech.

The consequence of these decisions is a flood of money into elections at every level. It is widely reported that a Senate seat now costs over $10.5 million and a House of Representatives seat is $2 million, and rising.

Our representatives have to raise this amount for every election cycle. They do this primarily by calling a list of potential donors. They are expected to spend 30 hours a week on phone calls to raise money for their political party and the next election, and that’s not counting the time spent at fundraising while not on the hill. How much time does this leave for them to actually do their job of representing the people and governing?

We need a constitutional amendment that declares that corporations do not have constitutional protected rights of individuals, and that money is not speech and can be regulated. That’s what I-735 is calling for.

Ed Hope

Spokane