To the editor:
The U.S. has become a plutocracy, a government run by the wealthy. Large corporations buy legislation through the American Legislative Exchange Council. Through ALEC, these bankers, oil barons and Wall Street executives influence laws that are profitable for them while the rest of us lose jobs, unemployment benefits, health care and many rights.
Corporations buy their way into government regulatory agencies and thus neglect to run peer-reviewed double-blind studies before exposing us to new chemicals, drugs, foods and products.
In 2010, the Supreme Court decided in Citizens United to allow corporations to be deemed as “people” and thus able to donate freely in elections.
In August 2011, we lost the last vestiges of our representative government when the “super committee” was created in Congress. The representatives we elected have no power to represent us and the senators have been stripped of their right to filibuster. With only seven out of 12 votes needed to pass controversial legislation, it will be much easier for lobbyists buy these elected officials.
It’s time to tell the corporations we will not buy their products, use their services or invest with them until they stop meddling in our government.
Jennifer Bartok
Hillsborough
