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On Jan 21, 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, made a ruling that will prove to be the most controversial ruling in our life time if not all our history. The five “conservative” justices, lead by Justice John Roberts overturned two previous SC rulings and undid at least part of the McCain Feingold Campaign Finance Bill to eliminate restrictions on corporate spending for political campaigns. They essentially said that the restrictions were violating corporation’s First Amendment right of unrestricted free speech. The Constitution was written to protect citizens from the power of corporations. This court has seen fit to undo these protections and allow corporations to dominate our election process.
The court did more damage by indicating that the Bill of Rights applies to corporations and not just citizens. This is not a good precedence.
The purpose of citizens allowing corporations to exist was to permit them to more powers than citizens as needed to allow them to take risks and provide products and services needed by the citizens. These powers were to be carefully regulated to prevent the corporations from assuming too much power over the citizens. This court has used it’s power to interpret the Constitution to take power from citizens to control the very corporations the citizens have allowed to exist.
Corporations exist at our whim. Do not let this monster we created turn on us.
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