Campaign Finance Reform NOW

We, the undersigned, hereby petition the elected members of the United States Congress to actively pursue the drafting and passing of a strong, infallible campaign finance reform bill.

Furthermore, we, your constituents, request that the bill be advanced to top priority in the Congressional agenda, so that the positive benefits can be used to push forward further legislation on other pressing issues.

Citizens who run for national public offices should be allocated a certain amount of campaign funding to be determined by Congress. Whether primary election candidates should receive funding is also a detail to be determined by the members of Congress. This funding should be used in any way the candidate chooses, but once the money is spent, there will be no more; and private monetary contributions will not be accepted, except through individual voluntary contributions of time and service to a campaign. The candidate will also be permitted to use his/her personal funds toward the campaign, should he/she choose to do so.

The purpose of this bill is not simply to give all candidates a fair chance in the election, but it will also serve as an open door for other extremely important issues to be heard in the halls of Congress.

With few exceptions, most of our elected officials have received campaign contributions from special interest groups. After the candidate is elected these lobbyists expect certain favors from the elected official. They expect certain bills, which would help them gain profits, to be passed; while others that would hurt their industry, are expected to be buried. Thanks to this bureaucracy there have been many extremely high profile bills that have been pushed by the wayside and forgotten; all to pay off a private backer. Some examples of these special interest groups include:

The health care industry (keeping lower income families from receiving even minimal medical care)

The prescription drug companies (keeping prescription drugs at outrageously high prices)

The National Rifle Association (keeping Congress from passing life-saving gun control laws)

The oil industry (burying research on the uses of other natural resources thereby building its own profits as well as the profits of known terrorist nations)

The paper milling industry (burying the research that proves that hemp can be used to make paper products without cutting down even more of our precious few remaining rainforests, thereby keeping Congress from legalizing hemp for commercial or private use)

The tobacco industry (still vehemently denying that they market to children and that nicotine is addictive, yet Congress is defenseless to fight against this lethal drug)

These are just a select few of the special interest groups that are lobbying Congress on a daily basis. Our democracy gives us the right to vote for our officials. We do so. But are we heard? The results of the 2000 presidential election prove that we are not. After voting a candidate into office we are given the right to share our concerns with them. We do so. But are we heard? I certainly havent been, after having written numerous letters to Congress. One person cannot make much noise, but a large group can. Or at least should.

This petition is written with the hope that a large group of like-minded people should be able to make a difference in the Congressional voting process. As I write this, our government is not being run by the people and for the people; by and for the average American citizen. It is being run by and for the people with the money. The advancement of such a simple bill for campaign finance reform would create a ripple effect to ultimately give the power back to the people of this country. This is not a partisan issue. This is something that I would think all Americans can agree upon regardless of political affiliation.

Members of Congress, we the undersigned, demand to be heard. We demand to have our democracy back. This bill would be a huge step in the right direction. Make the right choice. Thank you.