On August 10 at noon, there will be a rally in Springfield to support a law that would help reduce the control that corporations have over politicians. The Fair Elections Now Act was introduced in the U.S. senate by senators Dick Durbin and Arlen Specter, and in the House by congressmen John Larson and Walter Jones, Jr. The bill would allow federal candidates to run for office without relying on big "donations" (also known as "bribes") from corporate lobbyists. The bill is supported by www.greenpeace.org and some of the nation's biggest labor unions, including www.afscme.org

“Americans would be shocked if they knew how much time members of Congress and candidates seeking office must spend dialing for dollars and attending fundraisers," said Durbin. "Without a fundamental reform of the way we finance campaigns, we cannot bring real reform to Capitol Hill. Our bipartisan bill will give candidates the opportunity to focus on dealing with our nation’s problems and not chasing after campaign cash.”

Larson said, “States across the country, including my home state of Connecticut, have acted as laboratories for reforms like the Fair Elections Now Act. States have shown overwhelming success in taking the influence of big donors out of their legislative process and allowing lawmakers to get back to the people’s business rather than spending their time dialing for cash. Now it is time to bring this kind of real change to Washington.”

Jones, a Republican, said, “It’s time to return government to the people. And the first step is for Congress to debate legislation like the Fair Elections Now Act, which would help ensure that the average citizen has a voice.”

The rally will be at 300 State Street. Speaking at the rally will be John Bonifaz of the group Free Speech for People and Tim Carpenter from Progressive Democrats of America.

More information on the rally is available from Pat Fiero PatFiero@yahoo.com