POLITICAL INFLUENCE MONEY

Political influence money: An underlying reason there is a lack of effective regulation around plastic in the United States has a lot to do with money and politics. The amount of money candidates need to run for public office increases exorbitantly every election. The average cost of winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives is now $2.5 million (every two years) and for the Senate it’s over $25 million. At the state government level, nearly $15 billion was raised in the last election, and overall, most of the expense is for media ads—a huge windfall of profit for U.S. television and social media networks every election.

Where do candidates and officeholders raise all this cash?

Because most citizens can’t afford to make large donations, politicians have come to depend on the generosity of big industries and wealthy business interests—deep-pocket donors that expect and receive a return on their investment. A sobering reality is that legislators in America spend the bulk of their time working on bills written for and by giant industries. No wonder recent polls indicate most citizens of all political stripes don’t believe they are being represented. As for what would be required to restore a more functional democracy, see electoral reform.
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