Citizens United Anniversary
This is the statement I delivered at a Sacramento rally on the second anniversary of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
Good Afternoon.
My name is Pedro Morillas. I’m the legislative director for the California Public Interest Research Group, CALPIRG.
I’d like to start off by thanking Assemblymember Wiekowski for introducing AJR 22, the resolution that will put California officially on record in opposition to the disastrous Supreme Court decision we are all here to protest today. This resolution is a first, and necessary step toward undoing the Supreme Court’s misstep.
I know that we are all here to protest the anniversary of Citizens United, but I think that there are actually a lot of things that have happened in the recent past that have brought us here today. Things that have forced people to take a hard look at the role of corporations in our political process.
I’m talking about the financial collapse on Wall St., billion dollar bailouts for banks, and record bonuses for CEOs while the rest of us are struggling so much.
If you have ever wondered why corporations spend money on politics just look to the outcomes of the financial collapse for your answer. Look who came out on top.
Look who is still coming out on top. 30 of the fortune 500 spent more to lobby congress than they did on their federal taxes between the time of the financial meltdown and 2010.
When it comes to playing in politics, corporations spend money to make money. And unfortunately the ones who end up paying for it are you and I.
But more and more of us are starting to take notice, and we don’t like what we see.
I’ll tell you what though, I do like what I see right now.
I see students standing with seniors. I see mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers.
I see people, not corporations.
This is our building, not theirs. And it is not for sale.
Thank you very much.
