Get Money Out - Maryland Posts of Interest about Money in Politics and Voting Rights: October 2015

Editor, NY Times

Thank you for the investigative report (“The Families Funding the 2016 Presidential Election,”

October 10, 2015) on families making major contributions to impact the 2016 Presidential race. The article has many interesting and relevant facts, such as the major role played by hedge fund managers and other members of the financial industry.

However, I am afraid it underplays by omission another grave danger of the post-Citizens Unitedelection finance system – the role the multi-nationals may be playing in funding Super PACS or 501(c)(4) organizations directly from their corporate treasuries.

The article makes it seem that nouveau riche families are heavily involved and that multi-national corporations are not nearly as involved. However, considering all the mechanisms available to hide the identity of donors, I don’t understand how that could be substantiated. Therefore, I think the article should have contained a clearer caveat about the lack of disclosure and what we are prevented from knowing about who is influencing our elections.

Charlie Cooper, President

Get Money Out - Maryland

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