OPINION

Evans: Citizen's United is undermining our democracy

Lynn Evans
Contributing columnist

This month is the fifth anniversary of the US Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, the ruling that unleashed hundreds of millions of dollars of often hidden campaign contributions from Big Money to US political candidates. The cost of running for office, already prohibitive for the vast majority of Americans, has grown even larger. The Presidential and congressional campaigns of 2012 cost a combined total of more than $6 billion; roughly double the price tag for similar contests in 2000.

Even in Mississippi, the amount of money needed to run for statewide office is in the millions. Spending on campaigns for the state legislature runs into tens of thousands, and the price tag for the recent hotly contested race for U.S. Senate was over $12 million.

The additional and often untraceable millions pouring into politics courtesy of the Court's majority have transformed political campaigns into fundraising frenzies. Too many elected officials are now more concerned about where the next campaign donation is coming from than how to best serve the people they represent.

In Washington, all that money contributes to a poisonous political atmosphere that strangles the legislative process. And it leaves Americans cynical about their government and its responsiveness to their concerns.

The lawyers on the winning side in Citizens United argued that money equals speech, ergo political spending is protected by the First Amendment. Unfortunately, Citizens United has simply produced more paid speech – too often misleading television and radio ads, mass mailings, robo-calls, even faux documentaries. Courtesy of Citizen's United, there are now even more opportunities for Big Money to convert cash into political power. Contrary to the intent of the authors of the First Amendment, the Citizens United opinion has resulted in Big Money drowning out the opinions and concerns of everyday Americans.

This is why Common Cause and other good government groups are partnering with the more than five million Americans who have signed petitions calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, and give back to Congress the ability to regulate political spending. Sixteen states and about 500 cities and towns, representing more than 120 million people, are calling for similar action.

The requested amendment would simply restore laws in place before Citizens United, while continuing to protect freedom of speech and of the press. Reasonable spending limits would make it more possible to for all Americans to have the chance to be heard, no matter how big their bank accounts.

John Grisham's latest book, GRAY MOUNTAIN has stayed on the bestseller lists for a remarkable 12 weeks. It is a story about the devastating effects that big coal companies, and their massive spending in Appalachian state politics, can have on everyday people's lives and on that beautiful region of our country. Here's hoping everybody reading Gray Mountain joins the chorus to return reasonable financial restrictions and openness to our nation's campaign funding.

Lynn Evans is a past Jackson Public School Board member and a regularly contributing columnist.