September 25, 2012

Federal Election Commission v. Citizens United

The First Amendment has been one of the most controversial issues surrounding the Constitutions since its ratification in 1787. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” Many people disagree on the extent of power the First Amendment actually has on the right to free speech. One of the most controversial issues surrounding the First Amendment is how much influence a company can have over elections and …show more content…

President Barack Obama was also in favor of the dissent. After the ruling, he stated,
"With its ruling today, the Supreme Court has given a green light to a new stampede of special interest money in our politics. It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans... That's why I am instructing my Administration to get to work immediately with Congress on this issue. We are going to talk with bipartisan Congressional leaders to develop a forceful response to this decision."
The dissent is correct in this circumstance. When corporations have more control over campaigns and elections than the people do, then democracy cannot survive. It is unfair for corporations to be able to spend billions of dollars trying to tell citizens who to vote for. Why should a corporation be able to tell anyone who to vote for? This is a democracy, and a democracy only flourishes if it is truly run by the people. What people want will take a backseat to what big corporations want. Corporations will pay big bucks for certain politicians to become elected. In return, politicians will pass legislation that will aid and boost the corporations. For example, oil companies have gotten