14 of 14

Write now Article Tools

It's time for politics to put people before profits.

The Golden Rule all too often loses out to the bottom line. Greed benefits the select few while the majority are left on their own, and policies that benefit the common good are few and far between.

As policies continue to benefit corporations and special interests, we are left to wonder what has happened to democracy. Where is our government that is of, by and for the people?

Clean elections, or public financing of elections, has been implemented in many states including Maine, Arizona and Connecticut. Thousands of Iowans, including myself, have seen the influence of money over current policies, and that's why we are working for Voter Owned Iowa Clean Elections (VOICE) a system where people matter more, and money matters less.
http://www.voterownediowa .org/whatisvoi/otherstates.htm

VOICE, like other clean elections systems in place, takes away the need for campaign spending and constant fundraising as the cost of running for office continues to skyrocket. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Minnesota Senate topped the charts in campaign spending this past year, with nearly $28 million raised.
http://www.opensecrets. org/overview/topraces.php

Much of this money raised comes from large individual donors, Political Action Committees (PACs) and lobbyists hoping to influence the candidate once he or she is in office. The Center for Responsive Politics describes a PAC as a "political committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates."
http://www.opensec rets.org/pacs/pacfaq.php

Clean elections would change the way campaigns are financed and allow candidates to spend more time focusing on the people they represent, rather than on raising money.

According to Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, one of the founding groups of VOICE, through this system "candidates can choose to run [for office] using public funding instead of constantly fundraising and accepting monies from power groups hoping to wield their influence. It provides qualifying candidates - those who collect a set amount of signatures and $5 donations from within their district - with a set amount of money from a public source if they promise to refuse money from all other sources."
http://www.voterowned iowa.org/whatisvoi.htm

No matter the issue or priority, it has become clear that the influence of big money has too much of a say in our current political system.

So, how have campaign contributions

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about How have campaign contributions and lobbying efforts influenced policy on an issue you care about??
We want to hear your view. Write now!