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 On Thursday, January 21, the U.S. Supreme Court released their much anticipated ruling in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Their decision will have broad, sweeping implications for the 2010 elections and beyond. In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent and law and opened the floodgates for corporations to spend money to influence the outcome of elections.
While we are still working to understand the full ramifications of this decision, we do know this: this ruling opens the floodgates for election independent expenditures by corporations and unions. "Independent expenditures" is a term used for money spent to influence the outcome of an election that is not tied to either a party or candidate. For those who paid attention during the 2004 election, think "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" on steroids.
MPIRG believes that the core of our democracy is based on the ability of people to openly and candidly discuss issues and solutions in a thoughtful, deliberative way. Our greatest fear is that the types of electioneering communications that will result from this ruling will pervert this discourse through misinformation, distortion, or in the worst case, outright propaganda.
We are still working to assess the full gamut of options that can be used to blunt the impact of this monumental decision. MPIRG will continue to keep you posted on those proposed solutions on both the state and federal level. In the meantime, please check out these great articles, including the Star Tribune article from January 22 in which MPIRG is quoted:
New era for more campaign cash, Star Tribune, January 22, 2010
Adjust state laws after election ruling, Star Tribune, January 27, 2010 |
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Transportation contributes to 25% of global warming emissions in Minnesota. Furthermore, as Minnesota’s demographics shift, we face an aging population that will require alternatives to driving but will have few options. Both of these problems are caused by a lack of access to green modes of transportation for most people.
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There are 80,000 chemcials, mostly untested, used in manufacturing. Many of them are very toxic and are causing cancer and hormone disruption in our bodies. Two of the worst chemicals are bisphenol-A and phthlates. These chemicals can be found everywhere from baby toys to shatter-resistant water bottles. Constant, low-level exposure is believed to be related to the increase in autism, among other effects.
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Instant Runoff Voting (IRV), also known as Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), is a ranked ballot method of voting that always results in winners chosen by a majority of the voters. MPIRG has a long-standing history of working to promote and improve participation in the democratic process. We believe that IRV or RCV provides the opportunity for citizens to vote their hopes, not their worst fears.
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Gender discrimination and human rights abuses persist in our society. Sexual assault, domestic violence, reproductive rights violations and economic discrimination remain prevalent in our state. Each year, MPIRG builds on its past work in gender and sexuality issues, particularly on Minnesota college campuses.
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