There’s more money in politics than ever — and a larger percentage of it each year comes from billionaires and corporations. That’s a direct result of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling, which opened the floodgates to corporate money in politics back in 2010.
But while federal efforts to restore campaign finance reform have stalled, Sonali Kolhatkar writes, some states are pushing ahead with exciting new reforms of their own. Corporations, she points out, are actually established by states. And a new Hawaii law will use that power to define corporations as entities that don’t fund elections or campaigns. Voters in Montana are considering a similar initiative, and other states may follow. Pretty exciting!
Also this week, Gabriela Ramirez-Perez points to one major consequence of that corporate influence: minimum wage laws that haven’t remotely kept up with the cost of living. But there again, voters are taking the initiative where politicians have failed. She points out that voters in 12 states have passed wage hike initiatives in recent years, and this year voters in Oklahoma hope to join them.
Finally, Jim Hightower catalogs the pollution cost of the Trump admin’s favors for the coal industry.
New This Week…
It’s Possible to End Corporate Influence in Politics | Sonali Kolhatkar
There’s more money in politics than ever. But some state governments are finding ways to fight back.
Wages Haven’t Kept Up — And Working Families Are Paying the Price | Gabriela Ramirez-Perez
Lawmakers have passed the buck on raising the minimum wage. Voters are taking matters into their own hands.
Trump Is Forcing Coal Pollution on Consumers and Communities | Jim Hightower
The president’s unilateral moves on coal are exposing more Americans to toxic mercury pollution.
In Case You Missed It…
Trump’s Corruption Is Unprecedented | Craig Holman
The president just created a slush fund to pay off supporters with our tax dollars — and barred the IRS from ever auditing himself or his businesses.
There’s No ‘Moral’ Death Penalty | Furonda Brasfield
The death penalty has evolved for nearly two centuries, but there’s only one real measure of progress: whether we finally choose to stop killing.
Don’t Expect Cheap Gas Anytime Soon | Jeff D. Colgan
The Iran War has cost Americans nearly $50 billion at the pump. We should hold the leaders responsible for that pain accountable.
The Need for Supreme Court Reform Is Clearer Than Ever | Paul Gordon
We need a code of ethics, term limits, and more judges on the Supreme Court.
