 Thanks to several intrepid individuals — local activists Ron Chacey, Terry Pickett, Pauline Benetti, and Udgar Parsons — a meeting was convened on the second anniversary of the now-infamous Citizens United case that has had such an impact on campaign finance.
The meeting began with a showing of the short film, The Story of Citizens United vs. FEC, which outlined the case, the findings, the conclusions and the repercussions seen since. The group then broke up to better give people a chance to discuss the case, and provide “next steps”. The group then came back together, and spokespeople summarized the various discussions. These were distilled down into six action steps, and the people willing to help with each of those steps, as follows:
- Construct a mission statement.
- Develop a website
- Develop a model resolution to present to elected officials
- Create a resource to track other groups working on similar issues
- Develop public demonstrations
- Create opportunities to meet with elected officials
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, 558 U.S. 08-205 (2010) is a landmark decision arising from efforts by a Political Action Committee (PAC) to air television ads promoting Hillary: The Movie, as well as the film itself. Lower courts found the timing of the ads and movie, immediately prior to a primary election, had violated provisions of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, also known as the McCain – Feingold Act in reference to its primary Senate sponsors. The Supreme Court — with Justice Kennedy writing the majority opinion — not only reversed the decision, but set aside prior precedent in a very activist way. The result has been a deluge of money spent on campaigns, by what people call “Super PACs”. It’s not just the amount of money that has people upset; it is the lack of disclosure of donors, the disregard for truthfulness, and the hidden agendas.
Elements of the “Occupy” movement have voiced opposition to the money pouring into campaigns at all levels in unprecedented amounts, with only a scintilla of controls. The people meeting this past Saturday, January 21, may have occupied the UU Fellowship facilities for a brief time, but not as part of the Occupy Movement. The core organizers simply spread the word by e-mail and word-of-mouth, and 30 people showed up in the middle of a snowstorm to discuss what might be done locally.
Anyone interested in participating in efforts in support of Move to Amend Pagosa are encouraged to send an e-mail to MoveToAmend.Pagosa@yahoo.com, requesting to be placed on the mailing list, and providing contact information. |