Is it possible to undo the damage done by Citizens United? “I will believe corporations are humans in law when Texas executes one by electric chair, a bullet to the ‘head’, a public hanging.”

Some juicy comments (nice to see that I’m not the only human who sees the dirt our corporate financed and controlled politicos appoint to the bench to give the rich and powerful, eg industry and pedophile churches – notably catholic – whatever they want):

Rebel_Farmer:

I will believe corporations are humans in law when Texas executes one by electric chair, a bullet to the “head”, a public hanging. As for “money is speech”, I’ll believe that when a bunch of hundred dollar bills hop into my hands and say verbally that it’s all mine.

How the phuk could the Supreme humans ever come up with this asinine ruling? I say ‘fire the bastards” and start over. That won’t do any good until criminals are no longer allowed to run as politicians and any and all politicos that engage in crime during their time serving the public are no longer protected by immunity. If they are caught engaging in crime, throw them in prison where they belong, not shielded and continuing to break the law, harming many. A more effective way to get dirty and crime off the bench, and out of politics, is to make it illegal for any lawyer to become a politician, at any level. To get the corrupt out at the top, one must start at the bottom. Maybe do a Constitutional amendment that does away with the Supreme Court altogether. And take the Senate with them… And let’s do the old “one person one vote” thing and do away with the Electoral College…

Maineac:

Back when I was too busy providing for a family I didn’t pay much attention to what happened in government.

One thing that distinctly made me sit up and notice was when I saw the SC ruling on Citizens United. That was the moment I realized that the SC is not a judicial body but rather a corporate tool. I realized that day that they are a corrupt, politicized, apparatus used by the wealthy to tilt the game in their favor and always will be. Money has corrupted every aspect of the US government; the root of all evil.

Same corporate controlled dirt in Canada:

Canada’s Federal Interpretation Act’s section 10 Section 35 (1)(d) person, or any word or expression descriptive of a person, includes a corporation…

Alberta’s Interpretation Act at section 28 subsection (nn) “person” includes a corporation……

Except I think corporate control of our authorities, including the courts, is much worse here than in the USA, because we spend a lot of money and energy pretending otherwise, glorifying ourselves to be oh so nice, pristine and pure, free of evil, which by way of human nature alone, is impossible.

Overturning Citizens United will be a good thing, but I doubt it happens. And it would be a significant beginning, but only a beginning in dismantling the way the game is rigged.

JMAC:

How the phuk could the Supreme humans ever come up with this asinine ruling?

EASY… John Roberts and the GOP cabal on the Supreme court were put there for this very reason.

F_DN:

Citizens United was a planned execution of democracy by the conservative right. Just ask Karl Rove and Grover Norquist, two of the ringleaders.

Rebel_Farmer:

Citizens United was a planned execution of democracy by the conservative right

Citizens United is a natural out growth of the original Constitution. It is non partisan. It was written by the Founding Fathers to protect their wealth and property, including slaves. Party affiliation was not an issue then or now.

The Demos and Democracy are nowhere to be found in the Constitution. Democracy does exist in the Bill of Rights, but Citizens United usurped the Demos by giving those rights to Corporations.

PonyBoy:

If corporations want to be the same as me, make them have limited deductions and pay the same tax rates.

Upthepeople:

…and do the same time for the same crimes.

Adam3:

I am encouraged that such a thing has finally been proposed 11 years after the infamous ruling by the Roberts court, which incidentally legislates 80% more than any democrat congress in the 21st century ever did. I really think the only way to reclaim the country now, (short of ending the gangsters on the supreme court permanently), is by specific and rapid-fire legislation, and notably amendments piling up faster than the traitorous judiciary can re-interpret them as marching orders for fascism. Such things of course would require a legislature, senate and presidency that was on board. More to the point, an amendment requires a 2/3 majority of states to ratify it, (34 states), which is impossible in a 50% NAZI population, with more than 20 of the states being white supremacist, (republican), while only 16 being solidly democrat states. Same horrific disease in Canada, likely worse, because it’s well hidden, millions are spent propagandizing the public and rotting brains of children; our endless white supremacists scream if anyone dares publicly point out their vile ego-serving views. Many provinces reek of white misogynistic superiority, especially Ontario and Alberta, with the white rich ‘n powerful dragging Canadians ever deeper into the cave (easier raping of our environment, women and children that way). To get that done democrats have to solidly control another 18 states, more than twice as many as they already have. Perhaps the unmentionable option is the only one possible, or alternately, democrats could expand the supreme court to include at least 4 more justices, (democrat appointed), for a total of 13 justices in all. That’s probably the only way we’ll survive the amoral, ruthless and criminal republicans, we’ll have to play hardball. I just don’t think conservative right wing democrats are up to it at all, and for the most part they are light years from coming to any real terms with how far gone the country really is.

Rebel_Farmer:

but denies them total power over the people.

As long as corporations are “people” and money is “speech”, they will still have power over everything that real human people need to survive – food, shelter, water, etc. …

Jaded_Prole:

Vitally important. If “democracy is to prevail” it must be genuine. Authentic democracy; the rule of the people, requires authentic citizen representation and a people capable of self rule. We yet have neither. The first step in moving toward authentic citizen representation is to ban private money from politics from support of candidates, from lobbying and from bribery of any form. The next is to move from a corrupt duopoly to a multi-party system of proportional representation much like other modern democracies.

After that we need a population educated, informed and committed to the common good. That requires better education in civics and social studies as well as a responsible media limited only to connection to facts, bans on bigoted incitement and blatant misinformation but much more open to a wide variety of fact-based opinions. Then democracy will truly prevail.

Rebel_Farmer:

… And “yes” the Supreme Court is a corporate tool, but the whole of the Constitution was written by and for the wealthy to protect their property, wealth, and social standing. The Constitution itself needs to be replaced.

Rebel_Farmer:

The Supreme Court was established in the Constitution by the Founding Fathers to protect themselves, their wealth, and their property. It’s working perfectly today for the interests of the wealthy class, be they D’s or R’s, as designed.

Emphyrio:

If money “equals free speech” then those that control more money have more free speech, and that is the antithesis of one person, one vote, it is the absolute corruption and subversion of what passes for “democracy” in the US.

the “Citizens United” charade must be ended!

Corporations are NOT people and Money is NOT free speech – just other means of the 1% maintaining control.that must be smashed!

Rebel_Farmer:

it is the absolute corruption and subversion of what passes for “democracy” in the US.

Exactly. The problem with just overturning Citizens United is not going to be enough. The now highly conservative Supreme Court can just rule again in a future case that is presented to them. This is guaranteed to happen.

This is a hamster wheel We the People are forced by law to run on FOREVER! How in the hell do we get off this spinning wheel that prevents us from getting to where we, together, want to go?

A Big Deal’: Lawmakers Reintroduce Constitutional Amendment to Overturn Citizens United, “We cannot allow the wealthiest individuals and corporations to flood our elections with cash through complex webs of super PACs and dark money groups that put special interests above the will of the American people.” by Brett Wilkins, Jan 21, 2021, Common Dreams

In a bid to reverse the outsize influence of corporations and the wealthiest Americans over the nation’s electoral process, a bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers on Thursday reintroduced a constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling. 

“To ensure that our elections produce a democracy for all, we must overturn Citizens United and get big money out of our elections.”

—Rep. Ted Deutch

The reintroduction of the Democracy for All Amendment in the 117th Congress—led by Reps. Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.)—occurred on the 11th anniversary of Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commissiona 5-4 ruling which affirmed that corporations are legal persons and that they, labor unions, and other outside groups could spend unlimited amounts of money to influence the outcome of U.S. elections. 

The amendment, which has been introduced in every Congress since the 113th, grants the states and the federal government the ability to limit how money is raised and spent in U.S. elections.

BREAKING: Congress just reintroduced a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

This is a big deal.https://t.co/Mcoq7njay0

— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) January 21, 2021

A separate but related measure, the We the People Amendment, has also been reintroduced in each successive Congress since the 113th, most recently by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) in February 2019. The amendment would preclude artificial entities such as corporations and limited liability companies from enjoying constitutional rights, which would be reserved for natural persons. 

Deutch asserted in a statement released Thursday that Citizens United has “put an unacceptable price of admission on American democracy.”

He wrote: 

We cannot allow the wealthiest individuals and corporations to flood our elections with cash through complex webs of Super PACs and dark money groups that put special interests above the will of the American people. Americans overwhelmingly support stronger gun laws to keep our communities safe, action on climate change to preserve our planet, and a fair economy that doesn’t leave the most vulnerable behind or deny people basic needs like healthcare and a living wage. 

Unfortunately, big money in our politics gets in the way time and time again. Limitless campaign spending makes it harder for Washington to solve problems and opens the door to corruption. To ensure that our elections produce a democracy for all, we must overturn Citizens United and get big money out of our elections.

Robert Weissman, president of the consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, welcomed the amendment, saying it “unites the American people,” who he said “are furious about a rigged political system that responds to the whims of Big Money rather than the needs and desires of regular people.”

“The American people know that Citizens United embodies, perpetuates, and locks in that rigged system,” Weissman added. “That’s why by overwhelming numbers they favor a constitutional amendment to overturn [it] and related decisions that create an overclass of the wealthy few and consign the rest of us to political serfdom.”

Others are seeking to undo the damage wrought by Citizens United via the legislative route. Senate Democrats led Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.), and Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) announced Tuesday that the first bill they will offer will be the For the People Act (pdf), which would expand voting rights, limit partisan gerrymandering, strengthen ethics rules, and limit money in politics.

If we’re going to deliver on health care, housing, & climate, we must start by ensuring our democracy works. We must end gerrymandering, voter suppression & dark money that have rigged our system. That’s why the For the People Act will be the first item on @SenateDems agenda.

— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) January 19, 2021

The progressive advocacy group Stand Up America on Thursday called for the passage of the For the People Act within President Joe Biden’s first 100 days. 

“Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris administration and with a Democratic Congress, we have a tremendous opportunity to undo some of the damage done by the Roberts Court by passing the For The People Act,” Stand Up America managing director Christina Harvey said in a statement.

“Mitigating the damage Citizens United has done to our democracy won’t be easy,” added Harvey, “but the critical campaign finance reforms in the For the People Act—including creating a small-dollar matching program and requiring super PACs to disclose their donors—are an important first step.”

As expected, outside election spending—which was already increasing before Citizens Unitedskyrocketed following the ruling. According to the Center for Responsive Politics’ OpenSecrets.org, outside spending in the 2020 election cycle by super PACs, political parties, and “dark money” groups, among others, totaled a record $2.9 billion, more than double the amount spent in 2016. That’s up from $143.8 million in 2008, the last presidential election year before Citizens United

Citizens United also flung wide open the floodgates to megadonors, who had previously been limited by political action committee caps. According to OpenSecrets, Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein gave over $58.3 million to Republicans during the 2020 election cycle, while Thomas and Kathryn Steyer, the top Democratic donors, spent $54.6 million on liberal races. 

Remember Mr. Super Creepy Evil Racist Canadian, John A MacDonald, our first PM:

This entry was posted in Other Legal. Bookmark the permalink.