The public should examine carefully the political advertisements that come into their living rooms. With the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling allowing corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money on political campaigns, voters need to better inform themselves by paying attention to the ends of the ads and looking to see who paid for them.
For example, if the ad states Crossroads GPS, then Republican Karl Rove orchestrated the message. If it says Americans For Prosperity, then it was billionaire oil tycoons Charles and David Koch (the Koch brothers). They have already spent tens of millions to buy this year's election for the conservative effort. The 60 Plus Association, the Center For Individual Freedom and the American Future Fund all run ads for the far right.
Another outfit that you definitely need to know is the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. It is not your local Chamber of Commerce. It is the world's largest business federation representing 3 million companies. It is dominated by oil companies, pharmaceutical mega-corporations and other polluting industries. It also is closely allied with the American Legislative Exchange Council. Many companies have separated from ALEC due to its rigid stance against climate change.
The chamber has a well-funded legal branch, the Institute for Legal Reform, whose mission is to restrict the ability of individuals harmed by negligent corporations to file suit. Donohue stated once, "...after we inform it, after we try to persuade it, after we lobby it, after we plead with it — if it doesn't listen to us, we sue it."
There is absolutely no reason to trust in the truthfulness of any message bought by a gang of millionaires hiding in the shadows.
A well-informed voter is a smart voter. Arm yourself with the proper information to know where the messages are coming from so you can make the right decision in this year's important election.
Diane Louis
New Baltimore