Philly ADA

Today, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments addressing the application of federal election laws to corporate speech. It's expected that the right wing of the Court (Scalia et al) plan to use the case to overturn laws prohibiting corporations from making direct campaign contributions.

In an Op-Ed in today's Daily News, DeWitt Brown discusses the hypocrisy of this eventuality and the potential of such a decision to undermine our democracy.

Here's an excerpt:

ALREADY, THE SIZE and wealth of corporations dwarf the ability of individuals to influence their elected representatives. During the current health-care debate, corporations have spent hundreds of millions on advertising to influence public opinion. If the so-called "originalists" confer upon corporations the full rights of individuals, corporations will also be able to finance the campaigns of their preferred politicians.

At the federal level, reforms like the Employee Free Choice Act would never be possible. Locally, the corporate money that led to Philadelphia's pay-to-play scandals would flood City Hall.

To read the full Op-Ed, please visit http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20090909_Keep_corporate_money_ou...