Money Speaks

Money is a very useful thing to have in our society. Companies spend billions of dollars each year to persuade us their products are the best thing ever invented. And guess what? It works. So if it works for private corporations, politicians think it will work for them too and it does. Like corporations trying to sell us their products, politicians are trying to sell themselves and their ideas.

Money plays a big role in the election process here in the United Sates. Millions of dollars are spent each election year by candidates to show Americans why they should vote for them. Without money, it would be very difficult for politicians to get their names and their ideas to the American people. Where do they get a lot of this money? Sometimes it depends on the candidate. Some people are born into wealth. Others, like Mitt Romney, are very successful business men or women. However, most of their money comes from donations from individuals or private corporations.

Pete Subkoviak, writer for the Huffington Post, believes that money in elections is one of the biggest problems in America. He states in an article that money has corrupted our Republic form of government. People get elected through private donations and promote the kind of legislation that their supporters would find favorable, not the people they are representing. He states, “Therefore no matter who wins the White House or the Congress in 2012, Washington's will continue to disregard the Citizen's interests because our electoral and governing system is fundamentally corrupted by private money.”

Is he right? Is our government really being corrupted by private influences through elections? Should we restrict how much an individual can donate? I haven’t quite decided on these issues yet. But I do know and see the impact money has on our elections. I do think it is ridiculous how much money candidates put into campaigns. However, should the government really step in and stop and individual from supporting a candidate who shares their same ideals? I know I personally want as little government in my life as possible. But have elections gotten that corrupt that we need to regulate private donations? I believe that a candidate who is truly well liked by the citizens and good for this nation will not need millions of dollars to convince people to vote for him or her.