Corporations allowed to donate to campaigns
Silke Mahardy, '13 | Staff Reporter
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Opinion
In a statement, President Barack Obama said, "It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans."
What I find most insidious is that the ruling majority went beyond the scope of the case (Citizens United vs. Federal Election Committee) and with one broad sweep overturned long-standing precedent, playing directly into the hands of big business.
Many republicans have called this a victory for free speech in our country, decrying former restrictions as censorship. Top ranking democrats, on the other hand, including NY Senator Charles Schumer are joining forces to pass new legislation before next November's high-stakes mid-term elections in an attempt to curb unlimited corporate spending.
Some, including Rep. Donna Edwards (D, MD) believe nothing short of a 28th Amendment can correct this decision: "The American people already believe that corporate special interests and their lobbyists run the show around here. I mean, the halls are crawling with them. But that's not enough," Edwards said. "Now the Court says to the big banks, to the drug companies, to the insurance companies, 'Hey, all bets are off, and it's open season. Our elections are for sale.' A law won't fix this; we have to fix it in the Constitution." Edwards added, "We are the people. It's our house, it's our Constitution, and it's our elections. And we plan to take it back from the United States Supreme Court."
My sentiments exactly.
What I find most insidious is that the ruling majority went beyond the scope of the case (Citizens United vs. Federal Election Committee) and with one broad sweep overturned long-standing precedent, playing directly into the hands of big business.
Many republicans have called this a victory for free speech in our country, decrying former restrictions as censorship. Top ranking democrats, on the other hand, including NY Senator Charles Schumer are joining forces to pass new legislation before next November's high-stakes mid-term elections in an attempt to curb unlimited corporate spending.
Some, including Rep. Donna Edwards (D, MD) believe nothing short of a 28th Amendment can correct this decision: "The American people already believe that corporate special interests and their lobbyists run the show around here. I mean, the halls are crawling with them. But that's not enough," Edwards said. "Now the Court says to the big banks, to the drug companies, to the insurance companies, 'Hey, all bets are off, and it's open season. Our elections are for sale.' A law won't fix this; we have to fix it in the Constitution." Edwards added, "We are the people. It's our house, it's our Constitution, and it's our elections. And we plan to take it back from the United States Supreme Court."
My sentiments exactly.