Thursday, January 21, 2010

Campaign-Finance Ruling Opens Can of Worms

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575017191336805982.html?mod=WSJ-WSJ-US-News-5

"The Supreme Court decision stripped away rules that limited the ability of corporations, unions and other organizations to fund and organize their own political campaigns for or against candidates. The court also struck down a part of the McCain-Feingold campaign-finance law that prevented any independent political group from running advertisements with 30 days of a primary election or 60 days before a general election. Together, the decisions make it easier for corporations, labor unions and other entities to mount political campaigns for and against candidates for Congress and the White House."

This is amazing! The lines of free speech have now been bastardized beyond any reasonable expectation our constitutional congress had in mind.

It is a well established ruling that we cannot (and should not) yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater if in fact there is no fire. Common sense, really. But the Supreme Court ruling as such was made FOR THE COMMON GOOD. FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL.

Removing campaign finance regulation does completely the opposite. It removes safe-guards that were in place specifically for the common good.

You see, every game has rules and regulations. Period. Boundaries are crucial for games to have a level playing field. And don't think for a second our democracy isn't a game. It has winners, it has losers, and it has bitter rivals pitted against one another. And it is a participatory spectator sport for sure!

Basically, campaign finance regulation IS a boundary which gives participants in our democracy game a level footing for their vote; it is a limit on the potential influence a financially privileged group can have over the less wealthy.

It IS NOT a limit on free speech! It is a limit on free-reign!

Anyone can still say whatever they want, however they want, for as long as they want... until the money runs out. This way, the financial influence of a privileged group CANNOT (AS THEY SHOULD NOT) have greater ability to influence our government.

CAREER POLITICIANS are not public servants. They are in their position for no other reason than to promote special interests.

This ACTIVIST court of ours has now taken us one step closer to the marriage of the corporation and government... a fascist state.

Here is a quote from Chris Hedges (and if you don't know who he is, GOOGLE IT!)

"We live in a corporate state. We live in a state that no longer responds to the interests of its citizens, but does the bidding of corporations. There is no shortage of examples of that, from the largest transference of wealth upwards in American history, to the so-called healthcare debate, where for profit healthcare industries are literally profiting off of death, any debate about healthcare must begin from the factual understanding that the for profit healthcare industry is the problem. Then we can debate what we do. But unfortunately, and many, many citizens know that, across the floor, but we can’t have it because we are completely controlled. We’ve undergone a kind of coup d‘etat in slow motion. We live in a kind of inverted totalitarianism where the façade of democracy and the constitution are held up as an ideal but the actual levers of power are driven by very destructive forces."

And be sure to check this out...
http://vodpod.com/watch/2398111-chris-hedges-empire-of-illusion-part-3-of-3

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