We need a Consitutional Amendment

Wow. New broad sweeping rules from the Supreme Court. Essentially, what they are saying is that because the first amendment is so important the government needs a "compelling" reason to keep corporations from spending what they want in campaigns. Money = Speech.

So when you add it all up it looks like free speech and democracy is the winner in all this. Corporations are going to exercise free speech just like everyone else. But really, what's going to happen is that the individual will have the deck stacked against him/her ever more when trying to make a difference.

Exxon made $85 billion just in profit last year. Say they wanted to take 10 percent and spend it on elections. $8.5 billion is more than Obama + McCain + Everyone in Congress spent on their elections in 2008. And that's just one company. There is some reason to fear that we've just sold off our entire government.

Democracy is supposed to work well because everyone has roughly the same information. The marketplace of ideas. But Swiftboaters and Tea Baggers will tell you with some truth that the marketplace has been overwhelmed. Few politicians can control their own image anymore. It's a free for all with people lying for them and against them. That's only due to become more true. The health insurance lobby, the drug lobby, these are the people with the almost limitless resources that can now buy whatever they want.

And really, democracy is supposed to be government by people, not government by the artificial immortal legal entities that we created. Really, these corporations should be concentrating on what they are supposed to do, creating wealth.

There are some suggestions for laws to work around the decisions. One suggestion is making sure shareholders approve of any contributions by corporations. But really, the thing to do is amend the Constitution to say Corporations can not buy elections.