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View Full Version : FEC gives unions, corporations more freedom for political speech




bobbyw24
07-27-2010, 04:33 AM
For months, lawyers and constitutional scholars have debated the effects of Citizens United vs. FEC.

Now the Supreme Court’s monumental January decision that reversed a decade of campaign finance law is finally having an effect on the ground, and the results are clear — labor unions and corporations have more freedom to make political speech.

The Federal Election Commission issued two advisory opinions Thursday that will give greater freedom to corporations and labor unions in making contributions to political committees that are not tied to any particular party or candidate.

“It necessarily follows that corporations, labor organizations and political committees also may make unlimited contributions to organizations…that make only independent expenditures,” wrote the commission.

The FEC advised that Commonsense Ten, a non-connected political committee with Democratic leanings, may receive “unlimited contributions from individuals, political committees, corporations, and labor organizations for the purpose of making independent expenditures,” according to the advisory opinion.

Commonsense Ten intends to make only independent expenditures, spending that is not coordinated with any party or candidate.

The FEC also wrote that the political committee created by the Club for Growth, a nonprofit promoting economic freedom, “may solicit and accept unlimited contributions from individuals in the general public, including contributions given for specific independent expenditures,” according to the advisory opinion.

The Club for Growth committee will not accept contributions from any political committee, candidate, labor organization, foreign national, government contractor or corporation.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/07/27/fec-advisory-based-on-citizens-united-gives-labor-unions-corporations-no-limit-on-donations-for-independent-expenditures/#ixzz0usTur5Lw

angelatc
07-27-2010, 09:13 AM
Why a thumbs down for free speech?

Stary Hickory
07-27-2010, 09:15 AM
Why a thumbs down for free speech?

These are not people they are agencies with special privileges backed by government force.

erowe1
07-27-2010, 09:28 AM
These are not people they are agencies with special privileges backed by government force.

I still don't get all the McCain-Feingold fans here.

Yes, those groups are people. You can and should be opposed to having the government using force to give them special privileges. But political speech is not a special privilege. If I want to enter a contract with a bunch of other people where we pool our money and delegate to a board of directors the authority to determine how our money is spent such that our entire group spends it together as one entity and not a bunch of separate ones, and if I and the others who enter that contract with me want to allow that board of directors to allocate some amount (any amount) of our money to political speech, then that is our right. And the government has no right to stop us.