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Health & Fitness

A "NO" vote on common sense background checks by Senator Rob Portman

Senator Portman ignores the majority of his Ohio constituents and caves to the NRA.

I am outraged that Ohio Senator Portman, in voting "NO" on the bi-partisan background check bill, decided to ignore the majority of his Ohio constituents on the issue of universal background checks for gun purchases.  (The poll, by Quinnipiac University, found that in Ohio, 90 percent of voters, including 86 percent of voters in households where there is a gun, favor background checks for all gun purchases.).  Senator Portman has been the recipient of $600,000+ in contributions from the NRA during the 2010 election cycle, according to www.opensecrets.org & The Center for Responsive Politics.  In fact according to the 2010 election cycle the NRA has contributed the following:  https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/indexpend.php?cycle=2010&cmte=C00053553

 Independent Expenditures, Communication Costs and Coordinated Expenses as of May 30, 2012:

Grand Total: $13,698,359

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Total For Democrats: $287,276

Total Against Democrats: $3,509,275

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Total For Republicans: $9,856,414

Total Against Republicans: $35,834

Is there any question that money buys political votes?  The vote on the gun background check bill was filibustered by 41 republicans + 4 red state dems.  They shut down the ability of the senate to give the majority of American citizens, who favor this law, a vote.  It’s shameful.  It’s unacceptable.  It’s undemocratic.  The people who have suffered from gun violence just wanted the opportunity for a fair up or down vote.  Obviously, this simple request in a democracy was too much for the senators who have been bought and paid for by the NRA. 

 I don’t see how anyone can feel this abuse of our system by special interests and big money donors can be allowed to continue.  If you are outraged get involved in www.movetoamend.org or www.freespeechforpeople.org.  This is not a partisan issue.  We all suffer when Corporations, Unions, PACS & Super-PACS can buy the votes of our elected officials.  These people who bow down to the moneyed interests don’t care about good public policy.  Their only desire is to get re-elected and to protect their job.  The root of the problem is money.  Too much of it:  unregulated, undisclosed and absolutely corrosive to our democracy.  www.rootstrikers.org/ted_promo?splash=1   

I would expect the usual partisan nonsense about this issue.  How absurd to view gun violence, gun deaths, gun maiming and the ways we can prevent further mayhem, to viewed through a partisan lense.  It's a sad commentary that we all can't get behind common sense gun regulation.  What this is really is about is the ability of the gun manufactures and the ammunition manufactures to continue with their billion dollar industry.  It's always about the money.  Too bad it's not about the good of the American people.  It never is.

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