NEWS JUNKIE POST
Jan 22, 2010 at 10:23 amUS Supreme Court Solidifies Corporate Political Takeover
Yesterday, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court overturned a 63 years old law designed to limit the the influence of big corporations on elections. It is a legal coup of some sort, similar in nature to Hitler’s Kristal night. By opening this Pandora’s box, the Supreme Court has just rubber stamped the rise of corporate fascism. Americans will now “elect” the best political candidates money can buy.
The ruling says that corporations can spend as much as they want to support or oppose candidates for President and Congress. Strongly dissenting with the Court ruling were Justices Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer and Sotomayor.
“The Court ruling threatens to undermine the integrity of elected institutions around the nation”, said Justice Stevens in his dissent statement.
Yesterday’s decision was indeed a legal maneuver orchestrated by an ultra activist Court working on furthering the lock of big corporations on the already shaky US electoral process as opposed to work in the interest of the American people and to safeguard the democratic process.
According to Common Cause, a nonpartisan and nonprofit advocacy organization, founded as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process, the Supreme Court ruling is “The Superbowl of bad decisions for Democracy”.
Common Cause says the decision “create a political crisis” and that the Supreme Court handed down a decision that will enhance the ability of the deepest-pocketed special interests to influence elections and the US Congress.
“The Roberts Court today made a bad decision worse. This ruling allows Wall Street to tap its vast corporate profits to drown out the voice of the public in our democracy. The path from here is clear: Congress must free itself from Wall Street’s grip so Main Street can finally get a fair share,” said Common Cause president Bob Edgar. What is left of our democracy is now under attack by the institution which is supposed to protect it: The US Supreme Court.
Considering the danger of the law standing, the decision was right. The FEC should not be able to investigate, much less ban dissenting views under election law.
wsj online
“In last year’s oral argument for Citizen’s United, the Court got a preview of how far a ban on corporate-funded speech could reach. Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart explained that, under McCain-Feingold, the government had the authority to “prohibit the publication” of corporate-funded books that called for the election or defeat of a candidate.
That was a shock and awe moment at the Court, as it also should have been to a Washington press corps that has too often been a cheerleader for campaign-spending limits. Mr. Stewart was telling a truth already familiar to campaign-finance lawyers and the speech police at the Federal Election Commission. Former FEC Commissioner Hans von Spakovsky recalled yesterday that in 2004 the agency investigated whether a book written by George Soros critical of George W. Bush violated campaign laws. Liberals as much as conservatives should worry about laws that allow such investigations. “
You’re just being an apologist for the corporations, who will now be able to buy elections at will. Corporations are NOT people, they are entities, and they have no free speech rights.
This decision is one of the final nails in the coffin of our democracy.
“The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.” – President Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Fascism is capitalism in decay.” – Vladimir Lenin
“Fascism is nothing but capitalist reaction. ” – Leon Trotsky
“Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of state and corporate power.” – Benito Mussolini
…
And to those who disagree that this new legislation does not usher fascism into US governmentality, I’d say:
“disavow” – DEFINITION:
(verb)
1 : to deny responsibility for: repudiate
2 : to refuse to acknowledge or accept a truth
Personally, I think we should specifically exclude corporations from the entire political scene.
We should (and desperately need to) stop the entire lobbying process and make it illegal. A corporation is not a person, and so they should not have any ability to influence the government that operates on behalf of the people. When corporations participate in politics (as in lobbying), it is almost always a detriment to society.
Oh, well, at least there are two solutions to the problems in any government. One solution is the citizens rise up and overthrow it, and another solution is to do nothing and let it continue – it will eventually kill itself.
Rodney Barbati
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Devastating blow to our democracy– if we still have one!