Opinion: Braintree Official Supports U.S. Campaign Finance Reform

BRAINTREE, MA — The following is a letter to the editor from School Committee member Kelly Cobb-Lemire in support of the "We the People Amendment," which aims to reform campaign finances in the United States:

Today, January 21, 2020, is the 10th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s 5-4 Citizens United v. FEC decision. The Court ruled that restrictions on political spending by corporations, unions or billionaires are unconstitutional, opening the floodgates to massive political spending and granting constitutional rights to corporations.

While many point to full employment or a soaring stock market as signs of a robust and healthy economy, the facts are millions of Americans go without basic healthcare, young people cannot afford higher education and others are drowning in student loan debt, tens of thousands of people are victims of gun violence, both on the streets and in our schools, and climate change is accelerating.

Worst of all, Citizens United has enabled billions and billions of dark money to pour into our elections. We have lost control of our system of self-government, leaving our destiny to corporations and the views of the 1% all of which have transformed our democracy into an oligarchy.

Only a Constitutional amendment can permanently overturn Supreme Court rulings. The proposed We the People Amendment (HJR.48) would mandate campaign finance reform by safeguarding our democratic process against the unrestrained and anonymous spending of big corporations and the wealthy. The We the People Amendment currently has 67 co-sponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives. I thank Representative Stephen F. Lynch for being among them, and I urge Senators Warren and Markey to file HJR the We the People Amendment in the U.S. Senate.

For more information on the We the People Amendment, visit www.WethePeopleMass.org.

In Solidarity,
Kelly Cobb-Lemire
Braintree, MA