howard112211 (136 posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Jan-23-10 04:46 AM
Original message
How are corporate donations different from bribery?
I mean, ok, I get the argument that a coorporation, being a group of people, should have freedom of speech like other groups of people, say, a group of peace activists for instance.
But I don't get since when handing around coffers full of cash is considered "free speech". I mean, anything that concerns money being passed around usually has some sort of regulation to it. Speech is, well, speech. I don't get how they justify extending the definition of speech to handing someone a bundel of cash. If one "reads the law as it is written", handing a bundle of cash is handing a bundle of cash, not "speaking".
By this new definition of speech, it also should be my freedom of speech to hand a police officer 10.000 dollars to drop charges against me.
Bluerthanblue Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list Sat Jan-23-10 12:03 PM
Response to Original message
5. and unequal 'rights'- those with more cash have disproportionate
rights to be heard.
If money is the equivalent of speech, then shouldn't all people be endowed with cash? shouldn't it be a "given" rather than something which is supposedly "earned"?
Tell you what primitives; as soon as I see those of you on the island advocating to end the ability of unions to give money to political parties and/or candidates, to end the ability of unions to suggest their members vote for a certain political party and/or candidate, to end the ability for political figures and/or candiates to speak to union members, and prevent individual union members from advocating for a particular political party and/or candidate among themselves, then I'll look towards maybe taking you seriously. As it stands, you want corps to have no say and unions to have free reign.
yep, but not just unions. I also want an end of government funding, directly or indirectly of all non-government organizations like Planned Parenthood and such.
How are corporate donations different from bribery?
How are private donations to politicians any different from bribery? You're giving up the cash so the pol will do what you want him/her to. :whatever:
and ACORN the US govt is basically paying people to endorse democrats.
How are union contributions different from bribery?
One is dishonest and takes advantage of politicians greed and the other one is bribery. :-)