So, according to the Supreme Court, Money is some how equal to free speech.
For everyone that gets cold chills hearing that, take a chill pill for a while.
If we go along with this idea, and I think we should as we must because once the equation is made by the court, Congress can not act against the first amendment.
No where does free speech guarantee in the Constitution say you may use it to yell fire in a crowded theater and be anonymous. Rules are needed.
Please think about the implications of foreign countries and companies putting up adds basically lying to change a policy in this country and we will never know the motives because we will never know just who it is.
So what we need here is a level of transparency. Very hard but not impossible to achieve. Large companies will filter the money through made up groups or pay a normal non-profit that preexisted and some not. This is where the money is basically laundered just like a mob operation and can be placed in whatever campaign they desire without disclosure.
So why don’t these companies want you to know they are contributing in huge amount to a campaign?
It should be obvious. They fear a rebuttal by the consumer.
Now if that is what they fear, they probably are right. Plus you will not know what candidates they own… I mean control… I mean have influence with when they pass legislation that is against your interest.
A simple requirement of all non profits to have a public log of all donations of amounts in excess of $10,000 would be a start.
While you can not tax free speech, eliminating tax deductions for this would help but remember, they give to non-profit charitable organizations to launder the money and they use it in free speech.
The only clear path is for action to start in the states as a constitutional amendment. That says simply, “Corporations shale have no protections to free speech and not to be considered a citizen with citizens rights under the law” and “Free speech is reserved for human citizens only” and lastly, “Congress shall not have the power to change this”.
If you put too many words in it, you open it up for a whole lot of future strange interpretations by the courts.
Currently, Congress has not the power to alter this money=free speech equation. Only the supreme court could change it’s mind at some later date but I don’t think you will ever find a appropriate case to do so without stripping the rest of us from some of our free speech.
It can always be changed by the people via constitutional amendment. The founding fathers did not expressly imply this but they specifically said Congress can not.