Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Free speech in America today
Our Supreme Court interprets the Constitution. The Roberts court has defined free speech in ways that could not have been imagined twenty years ago. The court increased speech opportunities for corporations and has limited them for individuals through its decisions. (see here for an interesting blog discussion) Monopoly power always reduces both efficiency and equity.
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Very interesting post. The poster makes an intriguing observation about the changes in ruling in recent years. America went from having a famous liberal supreme court to the opposite - a famous conservative supreme court. It is interesting to compare the two side by side and see how their differences in opinion effect all of us.
ReplyDeleteI fight with myself over the issue of individual 'donations' to corporations and campaigns. In a free market, I feel that we should be allowed to spend our money how we feel fit. The only problem is that the gap between the rich and the poor as left the rich with so much wealth that just a few people can sway an election.
I suppose if I was forced to decide, individuals should be able to contribute to a corporation, but the amount of time spent fundraising for campaigns has turned the election process into who can make more money before December rolls around. It seems to me like the lack of equity in the case is a major problem
I am all for free speech; however I don't exactly see how corporations donating to campaigns imposes on our free speech. I feel there is nothing wrong with corporations donating money to campaigns. If the corporation is in agreement with the candidate's policies then by all means I feel they should just like any individual would donate. An issue I do see is that corporations are going to be able to donate more than individuals and make a bigger impact. However, the election shouldn't be based on who has the most money in their campaign, so I feel the root of the problem is much more deeper.
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