14 May 2022 — 1734 mdt

Dark Money stands between us and
the healthy government we need

Guest Essay By Rebecca Johnson and seven others

We are living in very difficult times, but they are our times. Times we have helped create and need to help heal. For democracy to work we need a healthy government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Dark Money stands between us and the healthy government we need.

Maude Barlow served as the senior water advisor to the UN General Assembly promoting water as a human right. In her book, Still Hopeful, she says, “Oxfam and the British social justice organization Global Justice now have documented the rise of transnational corporations: of the top 100 economies in the world, 69 are corporations, and only 31 are nation-states.”

She goes on to say, “Apple’s revenues exceed the GDP of two-thirds of the world’s economies. EXXON is bigger than India. Walmart’s revenues exceed the GDP of 157 countries, including Spain and Australia. BP is bigger than Russia. China’s National Petroleum Corporation is bigger than Mexico. The latter decades in the 20th century and the first two of the 21st saw power transfer from nation-states to transnational corporations. By 2020, 12 American billionaires had amassed a combined wealth of $1 trillion, many made richer by the COVID pandemic.”

Who knows what the statistics are now? Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided Citizens United v. FEC in 2010, corporations have been able to pour money into our political systems through unidentified shadowy nonprofits. This has resulted in a frenzy of undisclosed spending.

Montanans of every political persuasion are concerned about the influence of Dark Money in our political system. We have learned from Montana’s history of political and government corruption. We know Dark Money creates a dysfunctional government by squashing the citizen’s voice.

A commonsense solution is to publicly fund campaigns, while eliminating PAC funds. Shorter advertising periods with candidates having limited and equal access would give voters the information to decide who to support. Politicians running for office would speak directly to the public through candidate forums.

To save our democracy, we must fight against Dark Money at every level of our political system. Question candidates about money in politics. Ask them for their ideas about how to clean up our political system. Exercise your freedom to vote by supporting those who support elections “of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Co-authors:

Dee Anna, a equality, water advocate retired, Boulder.
Jim Heikes, equality advocate, Boulder.
Rhandi Rachlis, A longtime resident of Basin and student of social trends. Retired.
Galen McKibben, community organizer and activist, Helena.
Sharon McKibben, retired sales & marketing executive, Helena.
Rebecca Johnson, a voting rights advocate, retired in Montana City.
Terry Minow, community organizer, living in Boulder.
Janice Frisch, spent career helping individuals with disabilities obtain and live their constitutionally promised rights, Clancy.