If you, as a citizen, has ever felt overlooked or ignored by your local congressperson, chances are that you are being ignored and overlooked. The only real way to get the attention of a politician is money, reported The Daily Dot.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Political Science, two U.C. Berkeley researchers determined, with science, that politicians are more likely to speak to someone who is a previous donor.
Authors Joshua Kalla and David Broockman joined with progressive group CREDO Action conducted an experiment in which they tried to schedule a meeting with 191 members of Congress about an environmental bill. Their goal was to determine if CREDO members who identified themselves as donors would be more successful at obtaining meetings with politicians.
The authors found that those who identified themselves as “active political donors” were more successful at meeting with congressional members than those who identified themselves as “concerned constituents.” The “concerned constituents” met with politicians 2.5 percent of the time whereas “active political donors” met with politicians 12.5 percent of the time, a 429 percent increase.
According to The Daily Dot:
Put another way, members of Congress themselves were three times more likely to meet with people identified as donors than regular constituents. Similarly, people who want to meet with their representative in Congress have a 231 percent greater chance if they’ve donated.
The authors found the research “disturbing” because they imply that Congress members pay significantly less attention to common voters than those who give money. Considering how much control corporations and billionaires have over our political system, the research seems more valid.
The Koch brothers announced this year that they plan to spend $900 million on Republican candidates during the upcoming elections. The New York Times indicated that amount as being “on par” with spending by both parties.
Money now speaks louder than than the voices of the people. Politicians bend to the will of billionaires and corporations, ultimately creating a country with laws they do not benefit the majority of average Americans.
