Thread by @DarrigoMelanie

We must protect voting rights to secure our elections, but our democracy will always be under attack as long as corporations are allowed to buy the people who were elected to represent us.

To protect democracy, we must end the corruption.
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Nothing that ever helped working families started with a corporate lobbyist cutting a check to a member of Congress.

If you want to see why a problem isn't being fixed, just follow the money back to the people profiting from it remaining broken.
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Between January 1st and September 30th 2021, lobbyists spent over $2.74 billion buying the votes of members of Congress, spreading propaganda and influencing elections.

This corruption has attacked our rights, rigged our courts and denied us real solutions.
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Climate crisis?
Fossil fuel lobbyists spent $5,945,330

Broken healthcare system?
Insurance, pharma & medical lobbyists spent $47,049,499

Bloated military budgets?
Military lobbyists spent $5,491,243

Things aren't getting fixed because Congress is being paid not to fix them.
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How do we fix a broken Congress?
✅Unrig SCOTUS and overturn Citizens United
✅Ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks
✅End the government to lobbyist pipeline
✅Elect candidates rejecting corporate PAC money
✅Introduce the PAID BY Act
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darrigo2022.com/endingcorrupti…

We must work to repeal Citizens United which accelerated income inequality, the decline of the middle class, environmental deregulation, a broken healthcare system and tax cuts disproportionately going to top earners. Citizens United is our biggest impediment to progress.
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Members of Congress should be banned from accepting campaign donations from, and trading stocks of the companies they regulate— because that's corruption.

This should not be controversial. This is common sense.
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In Congress, I would introduce the PAID BY Act.

(Politician Accountability Information Disclosures Benefiting You)

What's the PAID BY Act?
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The PAID BY Act would force transparency and accountability on politicians and candidates by mandating they disclose corporate and special interest campaign donations that are conflicts of interest in their votes, official statements and campaign messaging.
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These conflicts of interest and the amount of money they have received in the current and preceding election cycles from relevant corporate PACs and special interest groups would need to be disclosed and sent as official statements and quarterly summaries to constituents.
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For example: When a Senator votes against climate action legislation, the PAID BY Act would require them to release a statement disclosing their fossil fuel industry PAC and Super PAC campaign donations and personal investments which are a conflict of interest.
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The PAID BY Act is meant to bring accountability and transparency to an opaque process that continually puts the profits of corporations over the needs of working families.

If a member of Congress is against accountability and transparency, then they shouldn't be in office.
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Good things can happen when we eliminate the corruption.

We can:
🗳️ Protect voting rights
🌎 Save our planet
🩺 Guarantee healthcare
🎓 #CancelStudentDebt
🍼 Guarantee paid leave
💵 Pass a living wage
♥️ #EndGunViolence

We must end the pay-to-play that has broken DC.
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Right now, corporations and dark money groups are trying to buy the #NY3 primary.

We must not only keep this seat 🔵, but also out of the hands of the lobbyists intent on doing our families harm.

Please chip in today to support my campaign.
secure.actblue.com/donate/peoplev…