Daily writing prompt

If you had the power to change one law, what would it be and why?

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I spend a lot of time in the legal world as a Government and Civics teacher, so I have had a lot of time to think this one over. I think campaign finance laws need to be changed back to what they were under the McCain-Feingold bipartisan bill passed by the U.S. Congress. 

Money will always play a large role in free and fair elections, but the current no-limit free for all that has occurred since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizen’s United v. FEC decision has been a detriment to our country, especially when we have a huge concentration of wealth held by the top 1% of earners each year. The Citizens United case basically says that people and corporations can donate as much money as they would like to politicians campaign funds, they just have to disclose it. 

This leads to a very outsized voice for the ultra-wealthy when they can afford massive campaign donations with no-limit on how much they can spend. if America is to remain a democracy that at least attempts to have the will of the people control the government, this must be changed or we will go further down the road to an aristocracy which could easily become a dictatorship ruled by mega-corporations and billionaires.

Additional Resources About Campaign Finance in the U.S.

1. OpenSecrets.org – Run by the Center for Responsive Politics, it provides information about money’s influence on U.S. elections and public policy.
2. FollowTheMoney.org – A project of the National Institute on Money in Politics, offering comprehensive data on state-level campaign contributions.
3. FEC.gov – The official website of the Federal Election Commission (FEC), providing information on federal campaign finance laws and disclosure.
4. Common Cause – A nonpartisan organization advocating for open and accountable government, including campaign finance reform.
5. Public Citizen – A consumer advocacy organization that addresses various issues, including campaign finance reform.
6. Brennan Center for Justice – Focuses on issues such as voting rights, campaign finance, and other aspects of the justice system.
7. Issue One – A nonpartisan organization dedicated to political reform, including campaign finance and government ethics.
8. Democracy 21 – Advocates for stronger ethics and campaign finance laws in the United States.
9. MapLight – A nonpartisan research organization that tracks money’s influence on politics.
10. Sunlight Foundation – Works to make government and politics more accountable and transparent, including issues related to campaign finance.

OpenAI. (2024). ChatGPT (3.5) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com

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