Patronage, A Bit of A Rant.

Warning: This Post Contains Somewhat Disjointed Ramblings. Read it or don't.

The Supreme Court says you can spend a brazillion dollars on campaign ads. You can only give a couple thousand to the candidate directly.

So, the logical conclusion goes, you need to have a political ally with deep pockets to win a campaign. The Democrats and other people supposedly in favor of "free speech" have their panties in a Gordian knot over this*.

Hello? How is it better for ONLY people who are independently wealthy in their own money, to be able to run for office? Oh, that's right, because the richest of the rich people in Congress are (D)s. Can't have any of those rough people running for high office, now can we?

Tolerance: Doing only the perverse things I like. Everything else is banned.
Free speech: Saying only the perverse things I like. Everything else is banned.

When McCain-Feingold was passed I just about pulled my hair out it was so blatantly unconstitutional. Now that it's proved largely ineffectual it's cancelled. The Republicans are better at getting grass-roots support anyhow, nevermind all the Democrat screeching about the Democrat Party being the party of the little guy.

*Let's see the objections from the Democrats when the SEIU and AFL-CIO pour money into attack ads against the Republicans who will be winning elections this November. I'm so sure that no Democrat will stand for the UAW paying for ads to support his campaign. Riiiight.

Look people it comes to this: There are no corporations. Corporations do not speak, and have no rights. A corporation is a legal construct. A group of people with a common goal get together, write a charter, and call it a corporation. Does it really make a difference if each member of the SEIU gives $2,000, or if the SEIU gives a million dollars in a lump? No, it doesn't.

Restrictions on corporate speech are restrictions on individual speech.

Yes the astonishing facts in this post are all true. No I don't feel like spending half an hour looking them up just so you can have a link to click on. Having stuff like this stuck in your head happens when you are constantly listening to the world going on around you.