Letter to the Editor: Ruling on Big Money political donations needs to be overturned

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A new Morning Consult poll found that by a 2-to-1 margin, U.S. citizens approve of tax hikes for individuals who make over $400,000 and corporations, evidence that people really want a better society with more equality.

We don’t want our democratic republic to work only for the very rich and powerful but to pass laws that benefit the well-being of all their constituents. The campaign-finance system created by the 2010 Supreme Court ruling Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission allows unlimited Big Money donations, which greatly influence our elections and laws. So we have tax cuts for corporations and the rich, as well as enormous subsidies for fossil fuel and military industries, while we have higher medical costs, lax environmental regulations, grossly underfunded schools, increased homelessness, minimum wages at 2009 levels, failing infrastructure and little or no funding for wind and solar development to mitigate climate crisis.

No wonder many feel unrepresented. In 2020, the top 10% of households owned 70% of the wealth. Such concentration of money and power stifles honest, productive political debate of issues, obstructs pragmatic solutions, inhibits qualified candidates and creates division due to the tendency to blame each other.

For these reasons, Senate Concurrent Resolution 16 has been introduced in the General Assembly, calling on our U.S. congressional delegation to support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United and similar rulings. This resolution asks the Delaware GA to indicate that they are ready to ratify such an amendment, joining 21 other states. Ask your state legislators to get Big Money out of politics to restore our representative democracy. Most Democratic legislators are on board. If you or your legislator are Republican, remember that the real drivers of economic growth — innovation and competitiveness — are spoiled when businesses compete by buying political influence.

Jeanette Robinson

Wilmington

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