George Miller: “the question that we have to ask ourselves is simply, when is enough enough? How much longer can we sit here as Members…”

“the question that we have to ask ourselves is simply, when is enough enough? How much longer can we sit here as Members of the House of Representatives and pick up any morning paper in almost any city in the United States and read yet another story about some campaign committee, some officer of the Republican National Committee, the Democratic National Committee, the White House, the congressional campaign committees, engaging in activities either that are illegal, or have so distorted the system that those who write large checks, those who have access to money, get access to government that the ordinary citizen could never dream of. This is supposedly the people's House. Yet we find that money, money is becoming the means of access, as opposed to your rights as a constituent to Members of Congress. Every day we see more and more decisions brought forth in the press that were distorted by money: decisions of regulatory agencies, decisions of committees, decisions of subcommittees, where money influenced the outcome of the deliberations. The Republicans like to suggest that it is all just about illegal contributions. The tragedy at the end of all of these investigations will be that the vast amount of money that causes the distortions in the system in terms of representational government is legal. It is legal. It is legal to the extent that it is simply swamping the ability of local constituents to have a say in their election. We need campaign finance reform.…”