'Dollar Democracy' Community Forum

College educator and author Peter Mathews will discuss his book, “Dollar Democracy: With Liberty and Justice for Some; How to Reclaim the American Dream for All,” at a Community Forum in Newbury Park on Friday, Sept. 12.

Mathews, professor of political science at Cypress College and an adjunct professor of sociology at Long Beach City College, will address the 7:30 p.m. forum at the Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. He has been a political commentator on Los Angeles television and radio news and public affairs programs, and is a contributing columnist for the Long Beach Register, and online for the Orange County Register. He has previously taught at Cal State University, Fullerton.

Mathews covers a broad array of topics in his published critique of U.S. “Dollar Democracy,” with chapters on buying political influence, the disappearing middle class, unequal access to education, a costly and inefficient health-care system, destroying the environment for profit, genetically modified organisms and pesticides in food, and the bailout of Wall Street during the Great Recession. He offers a path to reforms in democracy that he says can help the bottom 99 percent reclaim the American Dream.

Mathews has been an outspoken critic of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that gave corporations the ability to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to express support for political candidates and issues. He is a spokesperson for Move to Amend, a coalition calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to establish that money is not speech and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.

In a posting on his website, Mathews wrote, “American Democracy has become Dollar Democracy, where policies made by elected leaders are bought and paid for by campaign contributions from wealthy special interest lobbyists and super rich individuals.”

Mathews lives in Long Beach, where he was the Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress in 1998 and lost in a close race with Republican Rep. Stephen Horn. The author and educator has lived, taught, traveled and conducted research in 27 countries, gathering broad knowledge of public policy matters.

After his prepared remarks, Mathews will lead a discussion on the issues raised. The forum is open to the public and free; donations will be accepted. The Conejo Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship is located at 3327 Old Conejo Road where it connects with Ruth Drive in Newbury Park. For information, visit forum.cvuuf.org or call (805) 492-8751.