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in corporations we trust…

Posted on Saturday 23 January 2010


WASHINGTON — Forty-one business leaders have co-signed letters sent to Democratic and Republican leaders in Congress voicing their opposition to Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling that frees corporations to spend unlimited amounts on influencing elections. "Is there a difference between campaign contributions and bribery?" said Alan Hassenfeld, chairman of Hasbro, Inc, who co-signed the letter. "It is long past the time to stop requiring that our elected officials moonlight as telemarketers raising money for their re-election campaigns rather then devoting all their time to solving the problems before this nation," he said.

The letter read: "As business leaders, we believe the current political fundraising system is already broken. The Supreme Court decision further exacerbates this problem." Signatories include current and former high-ranking corporate executives of enterprises such as Playboy Enterprises, MetLife, Ben & Jerry’s, and Delta Airlines, among others. They appeared partly motivated by a desire to be left alone. "[M]any of us individually are on the receiving end of solicitation phone calls from members of Congress," the letter read.

"Congress needs to spend its time working on the leading issues of the day, from reviving our economy to addressing our nation’s energy crisis to reforming the healthcare system," it continued, arguing that Congress must be "swayed by the merits of policy without regard to the interests of campaign contributors." The executives urged Congress to embrace public financing as the best way forward, endorsing the Fair Elections Now Act, sponsored by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. John Larson (D-CT).

"With a strong public financing system in place, candidates will be not be consigned to a system in which constant fundraising creates conflicts of interest and leaves Members little time to do the job they were elected to do"…
The recent Supreme Court decision has been hard for me to even think about. Article 3 of the Constitution states:
Section 2. The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority; to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls; to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction; to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party; to Controversies between two or more States; between a State and Citizens of another State; between Citizens of different States; between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects.
It recognizes two entities within our borders – States and Citizens. It doesn’t say Corporations. To extend the freedoms of Citizens to Corporations is essentially legislating from the bench, the conservative anathema. To do it in the area of campaign financing is simply extending the agenda of the Bush Administration – America as Oligarchy of the Business Elite. This decision cannot stand. It requires Congressional action, swift Congressional action at that. Corporate bonuses? Corporate profits? Corporate lobbyists? Corporate donations? Do they think it said … of the Corporations, by the Corporations, for the Corporations?

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