Big Money In America Essay

Words: 1786
Pages: 8

“We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated at the hands of a few but we can’t have both.” – Louis D. Brandeis America is in desperate need of a political overhaul. The problems embedded within our campaign financing system and the voter process threaten the very heart of democracy. At the core of this dysfunction is the influential power of ‘Big Money’ and America’s distrust in government motives. These issues must be addressed in order to preserve a union ‘of the people, by the people, and for the people.’ Elections cost money! ‘Big Money.’ Between the leaflets, billboards, radio and television advertisements, as well as all the other ways candidates try to get their names and agendas out there, campaigns can accrue a hefty bill. Therefore, fundraising becomes the life blood of any campaign. Money doesn’t necessarily guarantee a win but it definitely gives the advantage. For instance, during the 2004 general elections, the candidates who spent the most on their campaign typically beat …show more content…
Certain reform proposals would not only eliminate this dilemma but also give equal financial opportunity to all those who run. However, the real issue here is, does money represent our freedom of speech? The answer to that is no. Money itself is not equivalent to speech. This notion was first promoted by the Buckley v. Valeo case in which the majority of the judges agreed that limits on election spending were unconstitutional and restricted speech. Their justification for the ruling was that money facilitates speech, incentivizes speech, and therefore the giving and spending of money is an expressive activity and the curtailment of this would hinder one’s freedom of speech (Hellman