Over the last six months Gov. Tim Pawlenty and now the United States Supreme Court has decided that the way states and Federal Campaigns are funded must change.
Since 1990 the citizens of Minnesota had the opportunity to donated to a political party or candidate of there choosing and were eligible to receive a tax refund of fifty dollars for and individual filers or a hundred dollars for couples from the state. With the governor doing away with this program it is projected that the state of Minnesota will save $10 million in each budget cycle or roughly five million a year. This ends up being a drop in the bucket in away to fix this years budget deficit.
In a story on Minnesota public radio last June Common Cause Minnesota's Mike Dean the executive director of the non-partisan watch dog group, said the tax refund has been a valuable way to engage average people in the political process. Dean said he has concerns that big money will have a bigger influence on candidates.
Well it looks like Mr. Dean concerns were valid. On Friday Jan 22, 2010 the United States Supreme Court struck down a major portion of a 2002 campaign finance reform law. What the supreme court has done in this ruling is to open the flood gates of corporations and Labor Unions dollars in future elections. In doing so the balance of power has changed. Candidates will now become beholden to Corporations Lobbyist, special interest groups and Labor Unions to help in finance the political campaigns leaving the common citizens out of the equation.
We will see its effects starting in this upcoming election. More deep pockets outsiders will be using their tact's of mudslinging and dirty politics to the extent of which we have never seen before in an attempt to buy elections.
That leaves you and me the common citizens as the big losers.
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