B.A.F.F.L.E.D. Government

Are Special Interests Buying Our Government?

Once upon a time, elections and public offices were positions of integrity and trust.  Not to say all of them aren't today, but now, money is one of the strongest forces in politics, which makes things so "political".

This election season, we are seeing a rise in special interest groups raise millions to sway voters in one way or another.  Rather than allowing the people to decide based on a totality of circumstances, or the job a public official has done over time, these groups are pushing single issues in the media.  These pushes give voters a skewed view of their public servants.  A few states are holding judicial retention races this election season.  Retention is when a judge is put on the ballot as a "yes or no" selection, and must gain a certain percentage of yeses to remain on the bench.  States like Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas use this method.

In most instances, these judicial elections are a non-event, and judges are quietly retained.  And in many cases, they should be.  They are to be nonpartisan, fair, and uphold the constitution.  Retention is a means for ousting corrupt justices, not those upsetting a group here and there while honoring the constitution. 

Our President has even weighed in on the matter, today on Twitter:

BarackObama - We need to fight the millions of dollars in special-interest funding with millions of voices who are ready to finish what we started

BarackObama - Americans deserve to know who's trying to sway their elections-we can't allow special interests to silence anyone who stands up to them

Are you swayed by one issue?  Do you look at the entire record of a public official to make your choice at the polls? 

Share your perspective with us!