The Supreme Court & Citizens United v. FEC

    Based on the tenor of the argument yesterday at the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court is poised to overrule the 1990 decision in Austin v. Michigan Chamber of Commerce. If they do, corporations will be allowed to use general treasury funds to run advertisements and campaign on behalf of federal candidates. Corporate cash will flood our elections and special interests will be enshrined in the Constitution.

    But the blow will not just be to the proponents of campaign finance reform. It will be a stinging uppercut to the legacy of Justice Thurgood Marshall.

.......Austin was emblematic of Marhsall's judicial philosophy: He sided with the powerless and the voiceless, and he navigated through legal problems by steering towards equality.

    Marshall was the conscience of liberal legal thinkers. He stood strong for everything that Chief Justice Roberts and the conservative wing of the Supreme Court are now fighting. The bout has been grueling, and Marshall is now on the ropes.

.......There was also another glimmer of Marshall's strength yesterday. The case was the first argument heard by Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court. She is the first Latino and the third woman to ever sit on our nation's highest court. Neither the election of president Obama nor the nomination of Sotomayor would have been possible without Marshall, and it would be tragic if Marshall's legacy were dismantled as soon as it was coming to fruition. Under their watch, let's hope the court does not count to ten.

 .....the above from Truthout.org

We have to write to our peeps.  I believe corporations CAN contribute to the community if regulated and closely watched.  But, what we have now is corporations that have run amuck...and will continue to run amucker as long as the leash is loosened.  We DO NOT want the government representatives to be selected by our corporations, but by our people, our individual citizens.  As we well know, the corporate dollars being contributed to the election funds of wannabe senators and representatives, local mayors, chief of police?  These elections should not be bought and paid for by major corporations. 

Does anyone else see any redeeming value to letting corps increase their election funding dollars?

Your thoughts?

Wilka