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upworthy

Mansur Gidfar

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20 years of data reveals that Congress doesn't care what you think.

For the last few years, I've had this sense that everything I learned as a kid about how America's government works is completely wrong. But I had no idea how bad things actually were until I saw one simple graph.

Worst graph ever.

Professors Martin Gilens of Princeton University and Benjamin Page of Northwestern University looked at more than 20 years of data to answer a pretty simple question: Does the government represent the people?

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This Is Larry. He Has A Brilliant Plan To Take Down Politicians Who Are Screwing You Over.

We've got a bit of a situation on our hands. Money has so much influence over American politics that a recent study by researchers at Princeton and Northwestern universities found that "the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy." It's an outright corruption of our political system, and it's blocking progress on nearly every issue out there. The good news is that most people refuse to accept this is the way things should be. Enter Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig. Two months ago, Lessig launched America's first crowdfunded Super PAC. Their mission is simple: Find politicians who oppose reform, and take them down.

If you'd like to help Mayday PAC reach their final goal, you can click right here to pitch in. Their fundraising deadline is July 4, 2014, so don't procrastinate!

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A News Anchor Completely Lost It. I'm Really Glad He Did.

As the amount of money in U.S. politics continues to hit new heights (our full-time fundraisers intrepid members of Congress hauled in over $400 million in 2013 alone), this "mad as hell" moment from 2011 is more relevant than ever.

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A Brilliant Plan To Give Billionaires Who Try To Buy U.S. Elections A Taste Of Their Own Medicine

How bad has the money-in-politics situation gotten? A new study by researchers at Princeton and Northwestern universities found that, and I'm quoting directly here: "When the preferences of economic elites and the stands of organized interest groups are controlled for, the preferences of the average American appear to have only a minuscule, near-zero, statistically non-significant impact upon public policy.”In other words, if you can't afford to hire a lobbyist or raise money for politicians, your opinion literally does not matter. But don't go into a hopeless despair spiral just yet. On May 1, Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig launched Mayday PAC: a crowdfunded Super PAC with the sole mission of forcing Congress to get money out of politics. The response so far has been overwhelming: They've raised over a half-million dollars in the first week alone.

As of this post, Mayday PAC is already more than 65% of the way to its first goal:

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