For the People, By the People

The Supreme Court has ruled that corporations and labor unions can contribute to election campaigns, lifting restrictions that have been in place for a century. Basically, if a corporation thinks that a candidate would be beneficial to their company, they can pump in as much money as is necessary to the candidate's campaign fund. This ensures the first amendment rights of the corporations.

Now, I am all for the democratic process. I believe that we have the best political system going. What makes it work so well is that we have the ability to listen to various candidates and decide if they are the ones that would best represent our interests. But if corporations put essentially unlimited money behind a candidate of their choice, will we be able to hear the voice of the other candidates? Will it be possible for one candidate to so out-purchase the others that the tv and print ads will only focus on one candidate? Will debates become sponsored by different corporations, like the Bristol-Myers Squibb debate from New Hampshire?

With this ruling, the concept of for the people by the people is now outdated. Government will now be for the corporations by the corporations. The only good thing that has come from this is that the government has officially declared that it is run by special interests; it is no longer hiding the truth.