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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Former Congressman won't be charged in pedestrian death ... Rain, snow move Jackson County away from drought ... Man arrested in connection with Murphy homicide ... Former Congressman won't be charged in pedestrian death ... Rain, snow move Jackson County away from drought ... Man arrested in connection with Murphy homicide ... FROM THE COUNCIL From the Council: Our government's terminal disease Comment By Clay Bearnson MailTribune.com By Clay Bearnson Posted Mar. 13, 2016 at 2:00 AM By Clay Bearnson Posted Mar. 13, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Social News Last week, one of my council compadres wrote an editorial regarding campaign finance's resistance to change. It was very informative and I couldn't agree with him more. However, after reading it, I felt the need to expound on the subject a bit in order to put into perspective the detrimental effects that it has on us all. I'd also like to mention the negative impacts that it has on our government’s ability to function — or not. I realize that it seems oxymoronic to see "function" and "government" in the same sentence. There are many contributing factors that have devolved our government into the oligarchy that it is today. Campaign financing by PACs and Super PACs, the stranglehold by the mythical two-party system, and complacency are among the forerunners that are to blame for this breakdown. For the sake of space, I'll focus only on the first factor. The other two will each get their own guest opinion in due time. Stay tuned. Before we take off, I'd like to state for the record that I am not anti-free market. I am a business owner and as much of a capitalist as the next person. However, I take issue when it comes to a free market that has hijacked the political system and spends billions of dollars lobbying elected officials to perpetuate the "golden rule." You know, "He or she who has the gold gets to make the rules." With the advent of the Citizens United ruling, corporations are now, in essence, considered people. So what was once "of the people, by the people, and for the people" is now "of the corporations, by the corporations, and for the corporations." In short, the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling was in favor of the notion that government cannot place restrictions on election spending by corporations. People and businesses pour money into PACs and SuperPACs with the expectation that their money is going to represent their interests. The political action committees then give money to elected officials' campaigns with a sort of wink and a nod that they're going to do their bidding for them when it comes time to consider policy. Let's take a moment to review how that has reflected on people like you and I throughout the different arenas of government. On the federal level, newly elected President Obama tells Congress that he wants them to come back to him with a comprehensive health care reform bill that includes a public option. Then the pharmaceutical, health care products and health insurance companies successfully convoluted the political process by collectively spending nearly a half billion dollars lobbying Congress via campaign contributions. Public option? Gutted and replaced with a mandate that we have to buy health insurance from a private company that's beholden to its shareholders. Now people like me, who make too much to obtain "affordable" health care but not enough to pay for "affordable" health care, are left paying over $500 in penalties. It should've been dubbed "CongressCare" since it was Congress that took nearly $500 million in bribes, um, I mean campaign contributions to concoct this so-called health care reform. Let's get closer to home. Recent Oregon policies have been shaped by lobbying from special interests. Marijuana, minimum wage, zoning laws, farming laws, green energy, natural gas lines, nature conservation, you name it. If there was a contentious topic being debated, then promises of campaign contributions were abound. Now let's bring it even closer to home. Better yet, let's bring it all the way home. The Chamber of Medford/Jackson County has a political action committee, creatively named ChamberPAC. Every election year it gives money to certain candidates’ campaigns, and it's worth noting that they don't do this out of the kindness of their hearts. In fact, they conduct a candidate interview screening process to make sure that they invest their money in the candidate that is most aligned with their agenda. Very recent issues that this council has been dealing with are directly related to the type of persuasion that special interest has over the political process. For now, it remains in the "legal" category since it's all under the guise of campaign finance. Coming full circle to my cohort’s observation that campaign finance reform is resistant to change, it doesn't seem surprising when you consider these facts. Why would career politicians reform a system that allows special interests, both locally and nationally, to bankroll their re-election campaigns? The solution to this conundrum is going to take, at the very least, another 750 words. So I'll save that for the next column. Until then, here's the diagnosis: Corporate lobbying and special interests are the cancer in our government, and unless we, the electorate, make the necessary changes, then I'm afraid it's going to be terminal. Clay Bearnson is a member of the Medford City Council. The views expressed in this piece are the individual councilor’s and do not necessarily represent the opinions or positions of the City Council. By Clay Bearnson MailTribune.com By Clay Bearnson Posted Mar. 13, 2016 at 2:00 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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