On Jan. 21, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court, by a 5-4 margin, voted to grant corporations First Amendment rights to free speech. The majority argued that the government should not be able to regulate political speech, even if it is by corporations. This decision overruled legal precedence, something the high court usually tries not to do. Even President Obama expressed his dismay over this ruling during his State of the Union address last week.
The dissenting justices expressed concerns for the very nature of democracy if corporations were allowed to use their money to shape the public debate at any time in the campaign cycle. The New York Times reported that the 2002 McCain-Feingold campaign finance law banned the broadcast of "electioneering communication" from the general funds of corporations or labor unions within 30 days of a primary and 60 days of a general election. These broadcasts are not paid for by the political parties, but they definitely affect the campaign messages.
This decision is bad news for those of us who believe that recent climate change is real and primarily caused by human activity. According to ExxonSecrets.com, Exxon spent more than $20 million in the 10 years after the Kyoto Protocol was established to support efforts that questioned whether climate change was real. If the Exxons of the world are allowed to spend as much money as they want to make people believe climate change is not an important problem and is not caused by humans, then the scales of public debate surely will be tipped toward the side of the deniers. That, in turn, will affect public policy as politicians seek to address "more pressing" needs facing their constituents. We, the people, need to step up and make sure our message on the need to tackle climate change, now, is heard.
2 weeks ago
In the aftermath of the elections, we can see that the Supreme Court decision has indeed affected the climate change movement.
ReplyDeleteI like to call it a movement, because it has that special quality of pushing the agenda of what is right even when it's not popular. Nonetheless, the more people that join the movement, the more businesses and corporations try to cater their messages to please the soldiers of the movement (who have also proven to be some powerful consumers).
The large number of the candidates elected are not in favor of green legislation, because they represent the interests of major companies that profit from loose environmental regulations.
My experience in life has been always been that of an African-American woman in America. I say that to articulate that point that I do not view the Supreme Court as a body that upholds the rights that are important to me or those who look like me. In rare instances, justice has tipped in "our" favor. Yet, those instances continue to be rare and accompany feelings of triumph over what we have witnessed in the Supreme Court.
Even with this historical background, I was truly surprised by the Supreme Court's decision to allow campaign funding to go undocumented. That act was a clear political statement to President Obama that the judicial branch would do everything in their power to cut down his agenda.
I wonder if anyone cares how President Obama feels. He is just a man; one man trying to make a difference. However, in the hero formula, it's those situations that seem impossible that give the protagonist the sweetest victories in the end. I've always liked a good story.
Dr. D,
ReplyDeleteI think the Supreme Court ruling to grant corporations 1st amendment rights was a terrible mistake. This was a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests groups. This was an even BIGGER loss for the American citizens. I feel that the court’s decision put a price tag on future elections. I especially think that companies like Exxon will now pay whoever they need to cover up the threats and effects of climate change. I do believe if we can educate people about the global climate change we will have a voice that can’t be silenced.
Dr. Donnellan,
ReplyDeleteI completely disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to grant corporations First Amendment rights to free speech.
I believe there should have been an exception in this situation simply because these giant corporations have a tremendous impact on the way the United States and the rest of the world operates. These corporations can now continue to deceive Americans and the rest of the world about issues that directly affect climate change. Research shows the average individual finds the issue of climate change confusing. The last thing we need is for those individuals to make decisions based off of lies that were fed to them by these corporations. Our government needs to do better.
Leslie Moore