On Feb. 6, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties held a public hearing on the 28th Amendment to overturn Citizens United and get big money out of politics. Advocates for the amendment, including American Promise State Manager Azor Cole and various citizen leaders, provided written testimony to the Subcommittee. Below is testimony from Alan LaPolice of Manhattan, Kansas.
Written Testimony of Alan LaPolice
Manhattan, Kansas
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
Hearing on Citizens United at 10: The Consequences for Democracy & Potential Responses By Congress February 6, 2020
I am a Kansas educator, veteran, farmer, former candidate for Kansas’ 1st Congressional District and a member of American Promise. Thank you for holding this extremely important hearing, which I hope will advance an amendment to the U.S. Constitution urgently needed to address the crisis of unlimited money in our political system.
As an educator and father, I am dedicated to creating a future in which my kids, along with your kids and everybody else’s kids, have the promise of life, liberty and happiness, and the hope that democracy brings.
As a United States Army combat veteran, I want to ensure that the government of the nation that my fellow servicemembers and veterans have fought and died for is one that represents the voices of Americans, not wealthy special interests, including foreign powers. No one who’s ever answered the call and worn the uniform has ever fought for corporations or moneyed interests– we fought for the people of this great nation. We didn’t take an oath to defend a rigged political system, we took an oath to defend the Constitution.
As a farmer and Kansan, I want to see my fellow independent family farmers have a seat at the table when decisions are made that affect the nation’s food supply. My experience in politics has made concrete my belief that if we the people don’t remove, or at least reduce, the toxic, corrupting power of money in politics, we can be all but certain that we won’t keep our promise to future generations.
We are at an inflection point in the progression of this great nation. Voter participation and trust in government are at historic lows. But we are an incredibly resilient nation. We’ve overcome so much and we’ve always done it as one nation—indivisible and strong. I believe by working together we can once again rebuild our own government, modeled after our modern, inclusive and diverse society. We can aspire to live up to the words of the founding fathers and build a more perfect union. That is why I support a Constitutional amendment and urge Congress to work together to pass this essential Amendment and return it to the states for ratification.
