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Last Tuesday, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker kept his job, but with ahigh price tag. In a state of only six million people, $60 million was poured into the race, $50 million of which went to Governor Walker. And almost half of that was spent by outsidegroups -- most of them not based in the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin was not an isolated event. Since 2010, Super PACs andcorporations have spent record amounts of money in electionsnationwide. Corporate spending soared during the 2010 electioncycle to over $290 million , four times more than the previous mid-term elections in 2006. Most of this spending would not have been possible without theSupreme Court's Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission decision. Before Citizens United , individuals could not contribute more than $10,000 to Wisconsin candidates and politicalcommittees (PACs) -- corporate entities or groups of people thatcontribute to political campaigns. But this all changed when theSupreme Court allowed anyone to spend an unlimited amount on PACsand let corporations and wealthy individuals spend unlimited moneyon political campaign advertisements. Due to a loophole in statelaw, Walker could also raise unlimited amounts from individual donors while his opponent, Milwaukee Mayor TomBarrett, had a limit on the dollar amount of contributions. So how do progressives move forward? The Wisconsin election showsthat we will not have a government of, by and for the people aslong as we have politicians who are bought and paid for by specialinterests. Powerful corporations and wealthy donors spent millionson the Wisconsin race because they benefit most from the system:tax loopholes for corporations, tax handouts for the rich, whileAmerica's heroes -- cops, firefighters, and teachers -- pay thetab. We need to put power back in the hands of the people. That's whythis week, the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which I Co-Chairwith Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona, is partnering with localgovernments across the country for Resolutions Week, a nationwideeffort to get money out of politics. Throughout the week, localleaders will introduce resolutions supporting a constitutionalamendment to overturn Citizens United . I am proud to announce that in my hometown of Minneapolis,Minnesota, the City Council will adopt its own resolution onFriday, June 15. We are not the only ones -- more than 100 state and local governments have already introduced similar resolutions. In March, the AlaskaSenate passed an amendment proposing that Congress and thepresident pass a constitutional amendment to stop limitlessindependent expenditures to influence elections, and the CaliforniaState Assembly passed a similar resolution. Montana is acting tooverturn Citizens United with a petition on their ballot in November. Several members of Congress have introduced constitutionalamendments to overturn Citizens United. While protecting thefreedom of the press, my own Get Corporate Money out of Politics Amendment clearly states that corporations are not people. They do not vote,they do not serve in office and they should not be able to buy ourelections. If we learned anything from Wisconsin, it's that money should notbe able to drown out the voice of the people. But by workingtogether, we can restore a democracy of the people, by the people,and for the people. Follow Rep. Keith Ellison on Twitter: /keithellison. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Bare Conductor (AAC/AAAC/ACSR/ACAR/OPGW) Manufacturer , Power Cable (LV/MV/HV), and more. For more , please visit Electrical Wire (IEC/BS/CNS) today!
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