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A Buck for Your Vote, Sir?
February 3, 2010 2:11 AM
The Supreme Court ruled recently that U.S. Corporations (and foreign companies with U.S. subsidiaries) can now take out unlimited political advertisements either for or against candidates running for office. The case - called "Citizens United" because that's the name of the organization that pressed this cause - is now famous and has overturned precedent leading all the way back to Teddy Roosevelt's administration in the beginning of the 20th century. It's simply stunning, with unknown repercussions that only time will reveal. Yet, will it really matter? It's up for debate, as this article in the NY Times discusses: "There are two things that are important in politics," Mark Hanna, the great Republican kingmaker of the late 19th century, once said. "The first thing is money, and I can't remember what the second one is." The article goes on to cite studies that have shown that money affects outcomes very little: Legal scholars and social scientists say the evidence is meager, at best, that the post-Watergate campaign finance system has accomplished the broad goals its supporters asserted. But is "public trust in government" the proper litmus test, and have we ever really tested what is about to enter our political lives? Defenders of the rules say their case for tighter restrictions on campaign money is obvious to anyone who knows Washington. Private influence-seekers shower big contributions on politicians because they want to gain access and shape policy; they would not spend the money if they got nothing in return. And yet, the case can be made that additional restrictions - like they have in the United Kingdom, or less restrictions - like they have in Australia - haven't really made a difference: Supporters of the restrictions point to Britain to show that governments can police corruption without imperiling free speech. Britain started regulating political spending as far back as 1883 and has tightened the rules steadily ever since. In any event, Congress is rushing to pass laws now that will lead to greater transparency, forcing U.S. corporations to either get shareholders to vote on actual political expenditures, and/or forcing them to declare these expenditures in some public fashion. It's hard to believe, though, that a company like Exxon/Mobile, with $43 billion in profit last year won't use some of that money to try to influence the outcome of some important political race sometime in the future. For the first time in almost a century, it's now legal for them to spend corporate profits this way. And that is simply stunning.
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Permalink to post: http://www.cslproductions.org/democracy/talk/archives/000887.shtml Receive an email whenever this DEMOCRACY blog is updated: Subscribe Here! Tags: campaign contributions, Citizens United, Supreme Court Add to Del.icio.us
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Please help Haiti.
January 13, 2010 9:33 AM
As the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti is woefully unprepared for this latest devastating earthquake disaster to strike. Please give as much aid as you can. Organizations that are mobilizing to help Haitians struck down by this calamity include, Mercy Corp, American Red Cross, and Doctors Without Borders, to name only a few. Speaking of which, Doctors Without Borders (also known by their French initials, MSF) are already on the ground and reporting back on the devastation here. The New York Times is reporting up-to-the-minute developments here.
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Permalink to post: http://www.cslproductions.org/democracy/talk/archives/000883.shtml Receive an email whenever this DEMOCRACY blog is updated: Subscribe Here! Tags: American Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, earthquake, Haiti, Haiti earthquake, Mercy Corp, MSF Add to Del.icio.us
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