'Corporations can literally buy seats in our congress'

PressTV - 'Corporations can literally buy seats in our congress'

Fri May 20, 2011 8:59PM

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Marcy Winograd, Congressional Candidate and co-chair of Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles spoke to Press TV's U.S. Desk on Friday about the problems with the political system in the United States.

She said, "One of the main problems that we have with our political system in the United States Is that in many ways, corporations can literally buy seats in our congress. We have the United States' Supreme Court that recently upheld a decision to allow corporations to spend unlimited amounts on independent expenditures."

"What this means is that for the average citizen it's virtually impossible to mount an effective campaign without corporate money. How can one counter the influence, …, the advertising that can be bought with unlimited amounts of money from large corporations that in many ways benefit off policies of continued war, of militarism, benefit the insurance companies that deny health care to Americans. So there is a great impact that the corporations have on our political system."

"We also have to understand that there is a very powerful narrative in America of the American Dream which says that anyone can succeed and that in essence, the playing field of equal. We know that it is not equal and people do not have equal opportunities to succeed in America but it is a seductive narrative which the great Martin Luther King talked about because in many ways, people who have very little sometimes identify with those who have the most, thinking that could be me."

"I know this personally because I am a teacher. I have taught history and I have taught history to students who are struggling, whose families are struggling, and in many ways they were most interested in the Robber barons of our history. Those who stole from America to make their fortune and so that's an obstacle as well."