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Should corporations, unions and trade associations be permitted to write checks directly to politicians and parties?

Results so far:

No
72% 152 votes Total: 212 votes
Yes
28% 60 votes

The average American donating to a Candidates campaigns war chest can't compete with the big business lobbyist currently working our lawmakers in Washington. If I stretched my budget and decided to do without some items my family needs that month to donate to the candidate of my choice I may be able to squeeze out a hundred dollars. How can I compete with say an oil company, or an association like the lawyers group, that have lobbyists on the payroll? They can give unlimited sources far beyond what I have access to. My little $100 dollars is nothing compared to the millions they could put behind a candidate, maybe the same candidate I donated to.

Now our candidate gets elected. It just so happen that I and some big contributor call the Congressman at the same time. Whose call is he going to take? Along with large contributions come some expectations. It could be that my candidate had all the right intentions when he started out, however he has to think about re-election, so my guess would be he would take the big contributors call before mine, in case he needs more millions for the next election.

There needs to be reform in a big way. This Government was set up by our founding fathers in all their wisdom; I say that with much respect for I do think they were wise beyond their years. Somewhere along the line money got in the way, I don't know if money has ever been a big part of your life but it was the driving force in my business for many years. Listen I am no better than anyone else, though I did used to have a lot of money. I can tell you when I had and was making money, money were the motivating factor in most of the decisions I had to make.

As a stock broker and a specialist in precious metals investing, I would always take the call of the client who had the most chips on the table first. Then if time permitted I may return the call of a smaller investor. Right wrong or indifferent, that is the way it went then and I am sure that things have not changed since I left the business.

As long as it is legal for big business to contribute directly to any politician we are going to be fight a battle, nay a war, we can't possible win. Back in the fifties when record companies would pay DJ's to play their artists song on the radio the government called it payola. Low and behold that became illegal. Well is this not the same premises? Yet the government, the ones getting the large donations, says this is legal. As an American I for one am ashamed of how corrupt


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Should corporations, unions and trade associations be permitted to write checks directly to politicians and parties?

No
  • by Darrin A Yarbrough

    To a large degree, questions like this arise due to the endeavor of running for political office remaining a private enterprise.

    read more

  • 2 of 18

    by Zach Bigalke

    Corporate influence and lobbyist power have already pervaded Washington. Our security forces overseas, the entirety of our

    read more

Yes
  • 1 of 7

    by Keith Graff

    Should corporations, unions and trade associations (and I would also include individuals) be permitted to write checks directly

    read more

  • 2 of 7

    by Scott Cameron

    Yes, they should. Simple. Funding by major corporations, unions and (rich) private individuals has always gone on. Loopholes

    read more

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