Philip Caldwell Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration, Emeritus Roy D. Shapiro

Increasingly, politicians have become more concerned with raising funds than with following the wishes of the citizens who elected them. That robs the American people and puts tremendous power in the hands of a small number of businesses and individuals, fundamentally corrupting our democracy. And, for businesses, it has become a pay-to-play game, where a business is forced (is extorted, some have said) to contribute as much – or more – than its competitors to gain influence in the halls of power. This distortion of the competitive balance is toxic to our economy. The American Promise Statement of Principle is simply a declaration of the wish that we return to core American values and the bedrock of democracy, and the 28th Amendment is fundamental to beginning that process.