Repeal Citizens United

I-735   Repeal Citizens United                  
Ballot language: Initiative Measure No. 735 concerns a proposed amendment to the federal constitution. This measure would urge the Washington state congressional delegation to propose a federal constitutional amendment that constitutional rights belong only to individuals, not corporations, and constitutionally-protected free speech excludes the spending of money. Should this measure be enacted into law?

 Sponsored by WAmend.org  http://www.wamend.org/   I-735 would urge a federal constitutional amendment that limits constitutional rights to people, not corporations. Corporations are NOT people.  Money is NOT speech. All political contributions must be regulated and made public.

Most people are aware of the Supreme Court’s horrible decision in Citizens United, which declared that corporations are persons and have the rights of persons, including the right of free speech. It then went further to claim that the Koch Brothers’ businesses spending $1 million to buy an election is exactly the same in the eyes of the law as J Q Public getting up on a soap box in the town square. Right.

The only way to right this very great wrong is to amend the Constitution of the United States, no easy task. Among other things, it requires ratification by 2/3 of the states. I-735 would in effect say that if and when the time comes, Washington will ratify such an amendment. It also asks Washington’s congress members to raise the issue in Congress.

I’ve been watching the utter devastation of the electoral system in the US since Citizens United. This needs fixing and I-735 is part of that fixing.

I will be voting YES on I-735