From A Republican, And A Democrat... The System Is Broken... In Their Own Words... [View all]

[WillyT]

A Midwest Republican Senator Crusades Against the Corruption of Money in Politics
Carl Gibson - HuffPo
Posted: 02/11/2014 1:57 pm EST Updated: 02/11/2014 1:59 pm EST

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Dale Schultz, a Republican state senator from Richland Center, Wis., has held his seat for 23 years, and served in the state assembly for 10 years before that. He's stood for election 12 times. He was also the only Republican in the Senate to vote against Act 10, the infamous 2011 Wisconsin bill championed by Governor Scott Walker that crippled public sector unions' organizing rights.

Now, Schultz has announced he won't be seeking re-election, citing the rise of dark money in politics in the wake of the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission ruling.

"The business of politics is changed, and I firmly believe that we are beginning in this country to look like a Russian-style oligarchy where a couple of dozen billionaires have basically bought the government," Sen. Schultz candidly said in a recent, spontaneous interview in his office. "And you know what? I always thought the job of a representative in government was to represent the people."

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Link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/carl-gibson/carl-levin-citizens-united_b_4747203.html

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And...

Schultz isn't alone in his sentiments. U.S. Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) recently said he would not seek re-election in 2014, simply because constantly fundraising for the next election got in the way of him doing his job. In his farewell address, John Kerry, the richest member of the U.S. Senate, urged his colleagues to address the "corrupting" influence of money in politics.

Same Link.

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Sander's Link: http://www.levin.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/sen-carl-levin-announces-he-will-not-seek-re-election-in-2014

A third item I want to tackle is a growing blight on our political system that I believe I can help address: the use of secret money to fund political campaigns. Our tax laws are supposed to prevent secret contributions to tax exempt organizations for political purposes. My Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations needs to look into the failure of the IRS to enforce our tax laws and stem the flood of hundreds of millions of secret dollars flowing into our elections, eroding public confidence in our democracy.