(This started as a letter to my Congressional Representative. I'm sharing it with my Senators, and will start sharing it with any other elected official who sends me a survey, petition or request for donation. I am fed up. -- KK)
Thank you for your most recent survey. I am bombarded with surveys many times a day, and have become cynical about their value to effect change.
I would like the legislature to address the obscene amount of unregulated money that has become the norm for conducting political business in our government. It is entirely unacceptable for a handful of billionaires to continue to contribute millions of dollars to the coffers of our current president with no obligation to report on how it is being spent or what favors are being curried with these donations. We watch with dismay as SCOTUS members receive vacations, expensive gifts and other material contributions with no ethical guardrails. Now we are witnessing the same boundless purchasing of presidential favor, and it’s not unexpected that our legislative representatives are receiving similarly unfettered funds.
I am exhausted by the reluctance of my elected officials to take a strong, unified stand against such clearly unethical behavior. What will it take to end Citizens United and pass legislation that will require all government officials, court appointees, and elected executives to abide by ethical guidelines that include recusal from court cases where there is a perceived conflict of interest, disclosure of campaign contributions that could be perceived as influence-buying, and a "pay to play" system where Elon Musk and other tech moguls become a "shadow executive" without objection from our elected (corrupt) President?
I am a retired lifelong special educator, disabilities scholar and advocate for marginalized populations (race, gender, sex, and ethnicity). I make small donations to non-profits to make sure that the most basic of needs are addressed. But I am completely unable to compete with the corruption of big money to offset a power imbalance that is incompatible with democracy. I provide "sweat equity", and encouragement to make sure that my elected officials speak for me.
Please stop sending me surveys until you and your colleagues are willing to take bold measures to fight the influence of money on power.
