In returning a 5-4 ruling concerning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court of the United States has given life to corporate personhood and, in many ways, limited the effectiveness of the everyday person’s contributions to political campaigns.
Many who are happy with the decision feel that SCOTUS has ruled in favor of free speech. Corporations generally speak to the public through advertisements. Advertisements would be purchased speech, not free speech. On top of that, corporations are not guaranteed free speech under the Constitution of the United States as they are not citizens.
With the ruling taking effect immediately, we will definitely be able to see what will come to pass during this mid-term election. While I am not delusional enough to think that corporations did not pour money into campaigns before, there was, at least, some regulations as the money had to go through a set up PAC. Laws and regulations had to be followed and the IRS forms filed for the PACs. Now, that step and additional regulation is no longer necessary.
My biggest problem is that corporations and unions and other special interest groups are not citizens. They are not guaranteed free speech. They do not necessarily deserve a voice in our politics. Now they have an unbridled voice with little constraints. Which way are the scales of justice tipping?
