I don’t disagree that corporations have a “super-voice”, but then again they may represent the interests of millions of shareholders, and that is a very large voice.
Free speech for corporations isn’t the problem, but a political-economic system designed for corruption is. A government obsessed with regulation beyond assuring a free market economy is going to attract the attention and interest of those they attempt to regulate. That such a government can grant privileges or inflict restraints by its very nature creates lobbyists. That the same government can award massive contracts also attracts lobbyists, and why shouldn’t it. The pile of money doled out of Washington and extra-constitutional regulations magnify the level of corruption.
If government had little or nothing to sell, the number of lobbyists would shrink as would the money flowing to politicians. But this government has everything to sell and wants people to believe that it is the businessman that is the problem, and not the politician.
The RNC, DNC, ACORN, most churches and a host of other organizations attempting to influence government are also incorporated. Should we silence them too because they are “corporations”? The corporation is not the problem.
While I am sympathetic to your comments. I do believe there can be extremely negative aspects to recognizing corporations to be individuals, essentially what we do when we grant them the rights of individuals.
I’m not here to make trouble. I could in fact be remembering inaccurately some past conversations. None the less, I’m not comfortable at this time, just signing off on Corporations being recognized as having the same Constitutional rights you and I do.
What I would like folks to take away from my comments, is a healthy dose of curiosity, keeping some judgment in reserve as the discussion takes place. I wish I could make a better case, but I’m not able to and I hope someone else will come along and delve into this in manner that will help us all to see this clearly, or at least to understand more the problems both pro and con.
Take care.