Community > Politics and Government
Montana Supreme Court upholds corporate spending limits
N. De Plume:
You know, I agree that spending money on political contributions is a way to exercise free speech. However, having no cap on the spending is the equivalent of letting the rich people shout out at the top of their lungs while forcing the poor to only whisper. Who is going to be heard? This is one place where free speech needs to be regulated.
Vene:
Money is not speech, speech is speech. Campaign contributions lead to a situation (ours) where politicians spend more of their time telemarketing than they do governing. We need public financing for elections and only public financing.
N. De Plume:
--- Quote from: Vene on January 06, 2012, 11:29:43 am ---Money is not speech, speech is speech.
--- End quote ---
By speech, we include things like publishing books, creating advertising and awareness campaigns, and producing works of art, whether or not they have political content. All of which cost money. Restricting the spending on such things is therefore restricting speech.
I just happen to believe that even the great Freedom of Speech needs to be subject to restrictions when it infringes on the freedoms of others. And Freedom of Speech is useless without the Freedom to be Heard, which is what happens with unlimited contributions.
--- Quote ---Campaign contributions lead to a situation (ours) where politicians spend more of their time telemarketing than they do governing. We need public financing for elections and only public financing.
--- End quote ---
I think this would probably be the best option.
Oriet:
I am all for public financing of elections with no outside contributions accepted. I am also against SuperPACs and other such venues that offer unregulated campaigning for or against individual runners or political parties; though if it was able to be kept strictly to issues alone, with no reference to which politicians support or disagree with them, I would be fine with it, though that is not what they do.
MaybeNever:
I think that not only should campaigns be publicly financed, but the bursar should be an elderly woman who will only give every candidate fifty cents so he can go buy some fizzy drink at the soda fountain.
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