I think the Supreme Court Decision was correct and because of several lines of reasoning.
First – Using money to buy Adds and have your say in public is not the equivalent of buying votes. It certainly gives you a louder voice but if your message or candidate is bad you still won’t get the votes of the people. To me, this is a freedom issue. If I want to use my hard earned money to have my say in the political forum then I should be able to.
Second – It balances the playing field. In the bad old days, Unions could spend unlimited dollars on candidates by distributing it through their membership. This gives corporations a chance to offer a counter point. A much needed counter point.
Third – Prior to the loosening up of Campaign finance laws; the Mass Media had an overwhelming advantage in the public square because they could say anything they want and call it news (not adds). The press (TV, Newspapers, Magazines) became king makers. And I, for one, am quite happy to see their power dimished
Finally – The rules were byzantine and gave the power of speech to bundlers and denied it to honest taxpayers who wanted to have their say.
I think the Supreme Court Decision was correct and because of several lines of reasoning.
First – Using money to buy Adds and have your say in public is not the equivalent of buying votes. It certainly gives you a louder voice but if your message or candidate is bad you still won’t get the votes of the people. To me, this is a freedom issue. If I want to use my hard earned money to have my say in the political forum then I should be able to.
Second – It balances the playing field. In the bad old days, Unions could spend unlimited dollars on candidates by distributing it through their membership. This gives corporations a chance to offer a counter point. A much needed counter point.
Third – Prior to the loosening up of Campaign finance laws; the Mass Media had an overwhelming advantage in the public square because they could say anything they want and call it news (not adds). The press (TV, Newspapers, Magazines) became king makers. And I, for one, am quite happy to see their power dimished
Finally – The rules were byzantine and gave the power of speech to bundlers and denied it to honest taxpayers who wanted to have their say.
I think the Supreme Court did the right thing!!!!