THE PROBLEM
Politicians are supposed to represent us. But most Americans have a near-zero impact on public policy.
Professors Martin Gilens (Princeton University) and Benjamin I. Page (Northwestern University) looked at more than 20 years worth of data to answer a simple question: Does the government represent the people?
Their study took data from nearly 2000 public opinion surveys and compared it to the policies that ended up becoming law. In other words, they compared what the public wanted to what the government actually did. What they found was extremely unsettling: The opinions of 90% of Americans have essentially no impact at all.
One thing that does have an influence? Money. While the opinions of the bottom 90% of income earners in America have a “statistically non-significant impact,” economic elites, business interests, and people who can afford lobbyists still carry major influence.
THE SOLUTION
America’s corrupt political system is a complex problem. The American Anti-Corruption Act is a comprehensive solution.
The American Anti-Corruption Act sets a standard for city, state, and federal laws that break big money’s grip on politics. It will:
- Stop political bribery by making it illegal for lobbyists to lobby a politician and donate to their campaign. You can lobby, or you can donate, but you can’t do both.
- End secret money so Americans know who is buying political power.
- Fix our broken elections so the people, not the political establishment, are the ones in control.
VISION
Our vision is a well-informed, engaged citizenry and a republican form of government that adheres to the Constitution and the rule of law and truly represents and serves the interests of all the people.
MISSION
Our mission is to educate people about our American republic and encourage them to preserve, protect and further it through active, nonviolent participation in the political process.
REPRESENT US
RUNM is the New Mexico chapter of the national organization, Represent Us.
Represent Us is the largest grassroots anti-corruption campaign in America. Together, we’re stopping political bribery, ending secret money, and fixing our broken political system.
NEWS
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