Stains on Democracy: Worst Supreme Court Decision of Past 30 Years

Over and over Average Joes say Freedom of Speech  and one-man=one- vote should be supreme and unquestioned in the US Democracy. But the problem of treating corporations and groups as equivalent to individuals is that the views of a very few, often the executive elite, determine the political views and contributions of the organization without any input from shareholder, employees, suppliers, or other stakeholders. Talk about elitist “freedom of speech” and corruption of one-man=one-vote

By far  Citizen’s United and the granting of corporation and interest groups “freedom of speech” equivalent to individuals has been the worst Supreme Court decision of the past 30 years. It is a massive stain on the Roberts Supreme Court because it violates common sense – organizations are not equivalent to individuals. It allows a small, ruling organizational  elite to speak  unconditionally for all stakeholders in the organization regardless of the broader viewpoints. Also it raises the ethical question – should one individual  have a greater electoral  voice based solely on accumulated power and  wealth?

The NRA is a telling example. 75% or more of its own membership support tougher, common-sense background checks and limits on gun dealers [see here ]. But the NRA executive elite not only ignores these polls but also punishes politicians that support these measures with attack campaign financing in primaries and general election against these politicians. So an NRA executive elite gets to speak falsely for the whole organization – ignoring its members views.

No other major democracy in the World grants such a privileged, elite few such “freedom of speech” privileges.  Citizens United hearkens back to elite privileges from the feudal ages. This is a grave stain on American Democracy.