Rep: Corporations buying government

BOSTON, Mass. (WWLP) - Lawmakers are gathering support for a state resolution to overturn a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs. the FEC, which gives corporations the power to spend unlimited money on campaign elections.

“Corporations will be the government because they will have the resources, unlimited, unchecked, undisclosed, to buy the government,” said Rep Cory Atkins (D-Concord). “It’s worked for Governor Mitt Romney because he’s had endless supplies of it.  He created a company whose sole purpose is a corporation to give money, it doesn’t do anything else.  It’s a post office box.”

Common Cause Massachusetts Executive Director Pam Wilmot said Citizens United strips ordinary people of democracy.  “The losers are the people, the losers are small businesses, the losers are all of us, the losers are American democracy and we need to change it,” said Wilmot.

President Obama is jumping on the bandwagon too.  On Tuesday he reversed his stance against endorsing Super PAC money in order to level the playing field among presidential campaigns awash with corporate cash.  But President Obama is still against the Citizen’s United decision.

In Massachusetts, Senate President Therese Murray announced she will support the state resolution.  When 22 News asked Governor Deval Patrick whether he would support the state resolution, he responded, “Well, if you’re asking me do I think the Citizen’s United Decision was wrong and needs to be fixed, the answer to that is, yes.”

According to the 2010 Hart Research survey, 79 percent of Americans support a constitutional amendment to overturn the ruling in Citizens United, including Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike.

The public is invited to testify for or against the state resolution rejecting Citizen United. The Legislature’s Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday, February 28 ^th at 1pm at the State House, room A2.