Kirkland Reporter contributor, Bill LaMarche, wrote the article “Money – free speech and politics” regarding the concept of “corporations are not people and money is not an expression of free speech,” on Nov. 12.

According to LaMarche, more than 80 percent of Americans want limits to the amount of money that individuals, corporations and membership organizations can give to political campaigns, and more than two-thirds want to do away with Super PACs altogether.

With his article, he included a survey in which 54 people participated in. The following statistics were collected from Nov. 12 to Dec. 17 and are intended to represent the feelings of the 54 surveyed.

Survey results:

• 92 percent of the respondents felt there should be a limit on the amount of money that could be donated to campaigns or candidates in local, state and federal elections.

94 percent of the respondents felt that out-of-state money influenced the 2012 elections.

92 percent of the respondents thought that unlimited corporate and PAC/Super PAC contributions to political campaigns unfairly overwhelm contributions from the general populace.

96 percent felt that citizens and voters should know who is giving money to campaigns.

77 percent felt that the Seattle Times contribution and involvement in the Rob McKenna campaign for Governor should not have been allowed.

77 percent felt that Costco’s massive contribution to the campaign to privatize liquor sales should have been limited.

92 percent of those responding favored a resolution stating that corporations are not people and money is not an expression of free speech.

LaMarche says a request is in front of the Kirkland City Council to pass a resolution stating that “corporations are not people and money is not an expression of free speech.”

To take the survey and read LaMarche’s original article, visit www.kirklandreporter.com/opinion/179008311.html