The court has touted the decision as a victory for Freedom of Speech in a disgusting perversion of everything America stands for.  The Court has removed even a hint of an attempt to insulate the political process from the profit motive.  The market has triumphed over the Republic.  Democracy is no longer one-man-one-vote, but rather one-dollar-one-vote.

What’s good for the profit maximizing autocracy that is the modern American corporation is clearly now good for us all.  If you don’t like a multi-national, billion-dollar corporation spewing toxic waste into your back yard, well, I suppose it’s time for you to incorporate a business, raise capital, and buy a political campaign.  It’s now the American way.

What do we gain if we expand the freedom of speech for corporations, handing them megaphones, without similarly augmenting the voice of the individual?  This is not equality of outcome and neither is it equality of opportunity.  It is a shameless erosion of the political process that takes power from the poor and even the well-off individual and hands it to the corporation.

At this point, it seems there is some room for Congress to act by legislating restrictions other than bans on corporate purchase of elections.  A petition is available to sign at Organizing for America.  I’d sign it myself, but the corporate firewall blocks the site–an irony I assure you is not lost on me.

Read more at The New York Times: Editorial – The Court’s Blow to Democracy or Supreme Court Blocks Ban on Corporate Political Spending.

Peter Kraus

Peter Kraus worked at Goldman Sachs for 3 months as head of strategy.  But, after the Bank of America takeover, his contract terms changed and he was able to take a $25M golden parachute… paid for, in part, by your tax dollars in the form of $25Bn in TARP funds given to BoA. Now he’s gone and bought a $37M NYC apartment.

I think we need a new term to describe these people.  One I’ve heard and like is Corporate Welfare Queen.  I can’t even afford a $3M NYC apartment.  Why should my tax dollars pay for this man, who probably has zero kids, to drive around in some stretch Cadillac up and down the streets of Manhattan, while he sits at home and collects a check in the mailbox paid for by my tax dollars!  He should be out there being a productive member of society instead of wrecking it with disastrous banking policies and rap music.  I manage to hold down a job, he should too.  It’s not my fault his bank merged and eliminated his job.  He should have thought of that when he decided to get an MBA.

Story here and here.