Too much money influencing politics

We are all going to need a good digital video recorder for the upcoming election! Why? DVRs will be needed to record our favorite programs and fast forward through all the political ads that will appear during commercial breaks on television. If we thought it was bad in the 2012 election, 2014 is going to be a doozy!

The additional ads will appear because of a recent Supreme Court decision that allows unlimited contributions to political campaigns from wealthy donors. Hundreds of millions of dollars have already been spent from earlier court decisions that let wealthy donors contribute through political action committee organizations. Unfortunately, these Supreme Court decisions allow the wealthiest individuals to buy elections and influence voters through mass media advertising.

All political candidates should be concerned. For example, recently, throughout Iowa numerous ads costing in the hundreds of thousands of dollars are being directed against U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley. Braley is running for the U.S. Senate seat in Iowa for the Democratic Party. Even without a Republican opponent yet determined, a PAC called 'Freedom Partners,” which is funded by the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch, is attempting to defame Braley. Whether you share Bruce's political values or not ... these ads allow groups outside our state to spoon-feed Iowans incorrect and misleading information about our local candidates. These groups usually claim no political affiliation, therefore not holding any politicians or political parties responsible for their contents. This allows unbridled platforms where PACs can create and broadcast any inaccurate or misleading information they want.

The most recent ad accuses Braley of taking 'tens of thousands from his friends in the health insurance industry” and giving them 'special favors” by voting for Obamacare. I have never seen one Iowa political candidate singled out in such a fashion and so early in an election cycle. It is frightening to see this done to any local political candidate. Facts show that Braley actually took on average, only about $2,000 each year for the last 10 years from health-related sources.

We all need to know our local and statewide candidates on more of a personal basis. We need to find out about our candidates from reliable sources. We all need to get involved in the political process more as citizens of this great country and state.

Unlimited funds from wealthy individuals that will be used to create and distribute misleading or untruthful advertising will put pressure on voters to become savvier about their political decisions. It is no longer just the politician or political party who will be spending vast amounts of money to influence us. We now have to listen to misleading ads from our nation's wealthiest individuals whose interests may not align with our middle class needs.

Whether Democrat, Republican, or Independent, take steps to find out the real truths about the politicians that hope to represent us.

l Steve Wikert of Cedar Falls is a native Iowan, a Vietnam veteran, and a retired educator. smwikert@cfu.net