We really have to thank the right-leaning Supreme Court's conservative majority of five for the terrific decision striking decades of precedent permitting election campaign regulation.
The crux of the holding is the remarkable conclusion that our Constitution requires corporations, that is, those fictitious entities created by law which have no flesh and blood existence and no right to vote, to have the same First Amendment freedom of speech as the rest of us.
No matter that the process of electioneering will now, more than ever before, be swayed by the highest bidder.
Maybe speech is "free," but now, more than ever, our elected officials can be bought, uh, make that influenced, by big money spending big money to make sure it can continue, without government oversight (or, more likely, with more corporate welfare and bail outs), to continue to make big money, all at the expense of individuals whose individual right of free speech can't hold a candle to the big burn of the corporate buck.
Perhaps, maybe soon, the court will re-examine the issue and extrapolate its holding to the next logical step: Why not simply give each of us flesh and blood voters the right to sell our vote to the highest bidder, so we can truly enjoy all the "democracy" money can buy?
Oh yes, lest we forget, thanks again, W, for your principled stand against those pesky "activist" judges.
Joe DeCristopher,
Lewisburg
Opinion
Free speech?
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