Northwest Indiana Discussion

Free Speech for Corporations

by Steve Chapman

During the 2008 campaign, a group called Citizens United put together a documentary, “Hillary: The Movie.” Remember seeing it on cable TV? No, you don’t, because the organization decided it couldn’t show the film without the risk of felony prosecution. It had every reason to be afraid.

The problem was that the movie was not only about Clinton but made the case that she should not be president. Worse, it was supposed to be shown during -- get this -- an election campaign. That, under the federal law, made it verboten.

You might think the point of a campaign is to air facts and opinions about the people running, so that voters will have a wealth of information upon which to choose. But in the judgment of Congress, some facts and opinions are not welcome.

http://townhall.com/columnists/SteveCha ... rporations

So USMarine, you would rather have a corporation pick a candidate to represent us. What are we that stupid that we need a corporation to decide what is best for "We the People"?

The Founding Fathers are smiling and America has regained some of the freedoms that have been lost.

"Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust." Thomas Jefferson

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." George Washington, letter 1779

"It has indeed been a trying hour for the Republic; but I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. As a result of the war, corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working on the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands, and the Republic is destroyed. I feel at this moment more anxiety for the safety of my country than ever before, even in the midst of war." Abraham Lincoln (1864)

"The money powers prey upon the nation in times of peace and conspire against it in times of adversity. It is more despotic than a monarchy, more insolent than autocracy, and more selfish than bureaucracy. It denounces as public enemies, all who question its methods or throw light upon its crimes. I have two great enemies, the Southern Army in front of me and the Bankers in the rear. Of the two, the one at my rear is my greatest foe.. corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money powers of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed. Abraham Lincoln

"Our government...must be freed from the sinister influence or control of special interests (which) corrupt the men and methods of government for their own profit. We must drive the special interests out of politics... The citizens of the United States must effectively control the mighty commercial forces which they have themselves called into being. There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains. To put an end to it will be neither a short nor an easy task, but it can be done." Theodore Roosevelt

Ahhh the founding fathers .... Their opinion on the corruption of money in government ......

Corporate charters should be rewritten to require a shareholder vote before each and every political activity. This ruling also infringes upon the rights of individual shareholders who will have no say in corporate political activities.

WASHINGTON -- The 2008 election for president and Congress is not only one of the most closely watched U.S. elections in years; it's also the most expensive in history. The nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics estimates that more than $5.3 billion will go toward financing the federal contests upcoming on Nov. 4.

The presidential race alone will cost nearly $2.4 billion, the Center predicts. Already the candidates alone have raised more than $1.5 billion since the election cycle's start in January 2007. This is the first time that candidates for the White House have raised and spent more than $1 billion, and this year's total is on track to nearly double candidate fundraising in 2004 and triple 2000.

Here ya go folks, ain't no money in government...see?

The Court’s opinion went on to note that the government’s theory of being able to censor organizations that speak to the public simply because that organization is a corporation with the ability to accumulate money would enable the government to go after the media. Every major press outlet is a corporation, and all have vast sums of money. The government’s argument could be used to justify censorship of the press. When that happened, the First Amendment dies.
The far left has already taken up the cry that this decision somehow undermines democracy, with Senator Chuck Schumer calling it “un-American.”

The White House itself is engaging in an unseemly Chicken Little routine, with President Obama himself crying that the Court, “has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics. It’s a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies,” etc.

It’s nothing short of Orwellian that many on the left argue that the First Amendment protects pornography and obscenity, but not the right to freely speak out about candidates for the presidency of the United States. History is clear that the Founding Fathers’ purpose in writing the Free Speech Clause was to ensure that people—either individually or as a group (which includes corporations)—have the right to share and spread their ideas and opinions of the government, its policies and its candidates for office.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2010/01/ ... -feingold/

I agree with you Marine. The government needs to butt out, and let the people decide what the heck they want to watch or read, or hear. GEEZ, look how many years we have had Michael Moore and his crap films all over the place. They are political as all heck, but have not been surpressed.