Four years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that corporations could spend unlimited amounts of money on politics, a central New York group is calling on New York state to stand up to the ruling.
Members of Move to Amend are lobbying state officials to pass a resolution opposing the Citizens United case. Michael Messina-Yauchzy says a constitutional amendment is the ultimate solution.
"Corporations need to be limited," he said Tuesday. "It’s 'we the people,' the corporations need to be controlled by the people. We establish the legal framework."
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been pushing in recent years for New York to implement public financing of campaigns. Messina-Yauchzy says that’s something they favor, but it’s not enough on its own.
"The influence that money has in politics is allowed because we have these certain laws, these certain court decisions," he said. "So how will we get them to pass it? By insisting that they pass it. Some people think that just a legislative solution is enough. We don’t think so."
Sixteen states have passed resolutions against corporate sending in elections.