Usually, when some new political development is called "a threat to democracy," I consider it a bit of an exaggeration.
But I don't think the threat is exaggerated at all with regard to yesterday's Supreme Court ruling that overturned decades of precedent controlling corporate money in political campaigns. This new ruling allows corporations to flood our political system with unlimited contributions, effectively drowning out any citizen's voice opposed to corporate interests.
I'm profoundly disappointed with this decision, and concerned about the impact this ruling will have on the quality of people we elect and the policies we enact. I'm also deeply concerned this will even further erode the confidence of Coloradans in our federal government at a time when we already feel like Washington is out of touch and run by politicians with no job experience outside elected office.
If you aren't sure we're facing a sea change, consider this: Barack Obama's remarkable campaign was built on millions of donations from individuals showing their support. But, with this ruling, all of those voices could have been drowned out with one, big, corporate check.
If we, as individuals, want to keep control of our democracy -- rather than have a government paid for by corporate interest checks -- then we have to fight back now and make sure our system reflects the belief that people, not corporations, control our democracy.
We all need to join together to find a way to stop this corporate interest boondoggle. If we want to keep control of our political system, then we have to fight back -- starting right now.