’)Public Citizen, the group founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, believes the recent Supreme Court decision declaring corporations have the same First Amendment rights as persons is a step toward the undoing of our democracy. And yes, they say, just as the president did during his State of the Union Address, a century of modest limits has been overturned. John Nichols at The Nation questions just what Justice Samuel Alito was reacting to when he mouthed “not true,” given that what the president said is true.
Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen lays out the steps needed to correct this decision.
1) Fair Elections Now Act: Give congressional candidates a public financing alternative to elections bankrolled by corporations. Also fix the presidential public financing system.
2) Shareholder Accountability: Give shareholders a say over corporate spending in elections.
But ultimately, we must pass a constitutional amendment to ensure corporate money does not overwhelm our democracy and clarify that the First Amendment is for people — not corporations.
