Citizens United to End Political Bribery (Working Group)

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Contact for Working Group "Citizens United to End Political Bribery"

Honi Sanders: sandersh6000 at gmail dot com

You can sign up to receive emails at [<a href="https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/citizensunited">https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/citizensunited</a>]

 

 

Citizens United to End Political Bribery (CUEPB) is a Working Group formed to pursue goals related to getting corporate money out of politics.  We will focus on realistic actions in Massachusetts, but will also extend our efforts to nationwide politics when we can.  This wiki page and its subsidiary pages will be our place to collect information and discuss ideas before bringing proposals to Occupy Boston General Assembly.  Everything here should be considered a draft, unless conspicuously labeled otherwise.  To participate, come to one of our scheduled meetings or comment on the discussion tab for a page.  You can also edit a page, but we'd like to know who's involved, so please introduce yourself somewhere in some fashion.

Meetings:

Next Meeting will be:  TBD. Some of us will attend a "House Party" next Wednesday, Nov. 30, in Brookline, to focus on the January 20 theatre event and make connections with other groups. If you're interested, comment here or sign up and inquire on the listserve: [<a href="https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/citizensunited">https://lists.mayfirst.org/mailman/listinfo/citizensunited</a>].

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="Notes from Nov. 22 CUEPB Meeting">Notes from Nov. 22 CUEPB Meeting</a>

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="Notes from Nov. 12 Open Discussion: SJR29">Notes from Nov. 12 Open Discussion: SJR29</a>

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="Minutes from Nov. 1">Minutes from Nov. 1</a>

 

Next Steps Agreed on:

Work with Jenn on a <a _fcknotitle="true" href="WG/Strategies/CUEPB/1% Monopoly">WG/Strategies/CUEPB/1% Monopoly</a> street theatre event in Boston for Friday, January 20 to publicize the anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC. This demonstration will be the Boston activity for the one-day demonstration at federal courthouses across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. The nationwide event is organized by Move To Amend (see link at bottom of page under "Other Groups." The CUEPB Working Group supports the Boston effort and will prepare a proposal to GA endorsing this event once more details are determined.

Analyze and discuss pending legislation on the wiki in order to decide what proposed state and/or federal legislation we support. Edit the <a _fcknotitle="true" href="Campaign Finance Legislation">Campaign Finance Legislation</a> page to add links, summarize what's in a link and/or discuss your opinions about proposed bills. We will also draw on knowledge from other citizen action groups to get up to speed quickly on the campaign reform options.

Build collaboration with other local groups, listed below on this page, who are working to change campaign funding.

Continue to gather interested people - People are invited to participate here and/or email sandersh6000@gmail.com to identify themselves as part of this Working Group.


Other Ideas Not Endorsed in a Meeting:

Prepare a proposal to GA endorsing <a href="http://democracyisforpeople.org/">Public Citizen's</a> action on the anniversary of Citizens United (January 21, 2012). Occupy the Corporations will be an action on Saturday, January 21, when people either occupy or hold an event outside of a corporate target – primarily at Bank of America or British Petroleum locations. Activists there will make a citizen arrest of the corporation (e.g., a sign or other non-human stand-in) for infringing upon our democracy. Those who wish to can then march to their city or town hall and ask their elected officials to support them in calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

Sub-topics: 

  

Background Information:

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Opinion">Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission Opinion</a>

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="Campaign Finance Legislation">Campaign Finance Legislation</a> (passed and pending)

<a _fcknotitle="true" href="Politicians and Candidates">Politicians and Candidates</a>

<a href="http://www.cfinst.org/data.aspx">Campaign Finance Institute (Nonpartisan? Resource)</a>

<a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1111/67460.html">Jack Abramoff: How to End Corruption </a>(in Politico.com)

Groups Outside Occupy Boston (In alphabetical order)

<a href="https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=pjgaqjhni0freohoui3tbiqj5k%40group.calendar.google.com&ctz=America/New_York">Calendar of Boston-Events </a>

<a href="http://www.commoncause.org/site/pp.asp?c=dkLNK1MQIwG&b=4764307">Common Cause</a> Common Cause is working diligently to expose the role of special interests, and promote reforms that put democracy back in the hands of "we the people."

<a href="http://www.coffeepartyusa.com">Coffee Party USA</a> and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bostoncoffeeparty">Boston Coffee Party</a> "The nonpartisan national Coffee Party movement is a call to action, to make government more accountable to the people.  The Greater Boston chapter focuses on state and local issues, in addition to participating in national Coffee Party campaign.  We are currently working for passage of key state legislation in two areas: money in politics, and civic education."  Contact <a href="mailto:coffeepartybostonma@gmail.com">coffeepartybostonma@gmail.com</a>

<a href="http://www.democracyfund.org/">Democracy Fund</a> "Democracy Fund is a new operating foundation created to dramatically increase the funding, strategic focus, effectiveness and coordination of existing and emerging efforts to curb the undue influence of corporate lobbyists over the U.S. political process. " Contact <a href="mailto:info@democracyfund.org">info@democracyfund.org</a>

<a href="http://democracyisforpeople.org/">Democracy is for People</a> related to Public Citizen. The propose a constitutional amendment to ban money to corporate electioneering. In addition, they are pursuing several reforms. Public financing of elections, a shareholder protection act and a constitutional amendment go together as a package response to rein in the excessive influence that unrestricted, massive corporate expenditures can exert over our democracy. A constitutional amendment offers the long-term solution to address the other damaging effects on our society of treating corporations as if they’re entitled to the same rights to express themselves as real people.

<a href="http://freespeechforpeople.org/">Free Speech for People</a> Proposes the following amendment:

  • Section 1. We the people who ordain and establish this Constitution intend the rights protected by this Constitution to be the rights of natural persons.
  • Section 2. People, person, or persons as used in this Constitution does not include corporations, limited liability companies or other corporate entities established by the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state, and such corporate entities are subject to such regulation as the people, through their elected state and federal representatives, deem reasonable and are otherwise consistent with the powers of Congress and the States under this Constitution.
  • Section 3. Nothing contained herein shall be construed to limit the people's rights of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, free exercise of religion, and such other rights of the people, which rights are inalienable."

<a href="http://www.getmoneyout.com/">Get Money Out</a> Supports a constitutional amendment: "No person, corporation or business entity of any type, domestic or foreign, shall be allowed to contribute money, directly or indirectly, to any candidate for Federal office or to contribute money on behalf of or opposed to any type of campaign for Federal office. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, campaign contributions to candidates for Federal office shall not constitute speech of any kind as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution or any amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Congress shall set forth a federal holiday for the purposes of voting for candidates for Federal office"

<a href="http://movetoamend.org">Move to Amend</a>  We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United, and move to amend our Constitution to:

  • Firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.
  • Guarantee the right to vote and to participate, and to have our vote and participation count.
  • Protect local communities, their economies, and democracies against illegitimate "preemption" actions by global, national, and state governments.

The Supreme Court is misguided in principle, and wrong on the law. In a democracy, the people rule. We Move to Amend.

<a href="http://www.pfaw.org/GovernmentByThePeople">People for the American Way</a> "The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC threatens to tear apart the fabric of our democracy and grant powerful corporations unfettered influence in our political process. It's a drastic departure from previous law and our core values as a nation and it must be met with an appropriate response."

Public Citizen (sponsors <a href="http://democracyisforpeople.org/">Democracy is for People</a> above)

<a href="http://www.rootstrikers.org/">Rootstrikers</a> "Our republic is dangerously out of balance. Well-financed special interests routinely bend the levers of power to benefit the few at the expense of our general welfare. Political bribery has been legalized by the courts, and both major parties have been co-opted and corrupted by the system... Rootstrikers is aimed at restoring power over American politics and government to 100% of the people. We hope patriots of all political persuasions will join us to help build an unstoppable grassroots movement that demands and delivers lasting reforms."

Key Local Experts and Opinion Leaders

  • Julius Levine - BU Law Professor Emeritus, long time Brookline political activist

  


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