Former PA Gov. Ed Rendell said “There are so many legislators who have said to me, ‘gosh, if I could vote in secret, I could vote for your proposal, Governor, because I know it’s the right thing to do. But I can’t do it. The other side will raise money on it and kill me.’ ”

Corporations are not human beings. They typically do not have a set of values other than commercial values. They also do not die, and so can accumulate vast amounts of wealth and power. They are un-democratic in nature. They are not governed by their employees, nor by the principle of one shareholder – one vote, but rather by the principle of one share – one vote, meaning that those who own the most shares control the decisions.

When we have large global corporations influencing legislation in Washington, we may not even know whose interests are being served. Are the shareholders citizens of the United States, or are they sovereign wealth funds of foreign nations, or groups of foreign investors?

Corporations buy access and influence through campaign contributions. Politicians abet this by scheduling meeting time with favored contributors and fundraisers. Corporations provide lucrative jobs when elected officials leave office. Politicians secure their favor by steering legislation to their future employers’ benefit.

Money perverts the entire political process. It makes our elected officials deaf to our concerns. We think this has to stop.