Carter Wrenn posted on February 03, 2010 12:24
I’ve been reading about the recent Supreme Court decision that says corporations can spend as much as they want to elect politicians.
Now, pragmatically, there’s not much to doubt this ruling is going to be a financial windfall to anyone in the political consulting business. And, theoretically, I’ve got to say more freedom of speech is almost always a good idea.
But I’ve begun to suspect there’s a missing piece here. It seems the court approached this case as a choice between two views: First that corporations are amalgamations of individuals and so it naturally follows restricting their freedom of speech restricts individuals’ freedom of speech – versus – Second that the public harm of allowing Wall Street corporations to spend millions to elect politicians beholden to them is just too horrible to contemplate.
But it seems to me this choice – between logic on one hand and common sense on the other – sidesteps a fundamental question: What is a ‘Right’?
Looked at that way the case changes completely. For two reasons: Because the Declaration of Independence says ‘Rights’ flow from God, and because it’s clear in Genesis God created man but nowhere in the six days of creation did He say, Let there be corporations.
So it seems like automobiles and flying machines and the Pyramids corporations were created by man (not God) and have no more rights than say a Chevrolet – which means the Supreme Court in its wisdom has just given an Impala freedom of speech.