It’s time for Americans to moan, groan against Citizens United

Opinion: September 22, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

On Sept. 11, 2014, the Senate blocked a vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Citizens United allows corporations, unions and others (foreign interests) to anonymously dump as much money as they want on the politicians they want pulling strings.

The fact that this type of legislation was even allowed to become law is treason on the grandest scale. Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Supreme Court Justices, I’m looking at you. The fact that the politicians who benefit from it struck down the amendment to do away with it should come as no surprise.

The decisions that make up a politician’s day should not hinge upon who has given him the most money. We all know it happens. We’re all mad that it happens. And yet the great majority of us do nothing about it. If this does not somehow bring to mind Mr. Einstein’s famous quote, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results,” I don’t what does. Why even bother going to vote? It doesn’t matter what you want unless you have the most money.

Well, it would seem that is in fact how most Americans view their privilege to vote. They don’t show up on Election Day. And wouldn’t you know it, this works out very well for the politicians who want to keep things nice and cozy with their donors. Go stand in line for days for the newest iPhone, but when it comes to matters that will change the government you’re griping about while in line, sorry fella, I’m busy that day.

Fear not, fellow Americans, for it is not your fault. You are only playing the hand that was dealt you. It’s not your fault Uncle Sam started dealing from the bottom of the deck. It’s not really his fault either. Heck, if the fat cats started throwing money at us, we’d do whatever they want, too.

But now that we have identified wherein the problem lies, let’s all please do something about it. Call your congressmen, call your senators; heck, call your neighbors. Moan and groan like I know you can. Because until we do, (we being, We the People) nothing is going to change. The system fits their needs as is. The only ones getting cheated are those of us who can’t afford to play the game — which is only about 99 percent of us.

Thomas M. Smith, Girard