I need a Free Speech Corporation.
The recent Supreme Court decision to allow corporations to spend freely on political campaigns has opened the floodgates of money into politics. I’m not the first to point that out. The tortured logic is that money is akin to free speech, and free speech should not be abridged. Therefore, money can flow to whatever political candidate a corporation wants to talk about.
The obvious challenge is, individual free speech is limited. Beyond just preventing hate speech or screaming “fire” in a crowded theatre. No, We the People cannot spend an unlimited amount on our political candidates. Our money and thus our free speech is limited by campaign finance caps.
So while Bill Gates, with his massive wealth, financial acumen, and legal structures has more free speech than I do, there is one way we can all catch up. We can all create our own corporations.
It’s easy, and in fact a quick search of the internet will give you loads of quick ways to incorporate. Then, you can throw as much of your money to whichever candidate you’d like.
And with that loophole open to us all, the notion of campaign finance limits has been destroyed. Whether Congress even bothers to remove the limits or candidates start encouraging their big donors to create “Free Speech Corporations” or FSCs, the limits are gone.
And we’re all going to have to create corporations to keep some small voice in a process that feels increasingly removed from the people.
I can hear the chanters in front of Capitol Hill now . . . “FREE SPEECH (corporations)! FREE SPEECH (corporations)!”
Sean Foote's Blog 