Friday, May 11, 2012

Too Funny: George Soros on Citizens United

I think the whole corporate personhood thing, going back to the Santa Clara decision, is flawed but maybe that's just me.
From Reason:
Here is a spokesman for George Soros explaining his billionaire boss's disgust with Citizens United v. FEC, the 2010 case in which the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on political speech by unions and corporations:
George Soros believes the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United opened the floodgates to special interests' paying for political ads. There is no way those concerned with the public interest can compete with them. Soros has always focused his political giving on grass-roots organizing and holding conservatives accountable for the flawed policies they promote. His support of these groups [America Votes and American Bridge 21st Century] is consistent with those views.
Got that? When George Soros participates in political debates, he is advocating "the public interest." But when people with views different from his do so, they are simply pushing their own "special interests." Since Soros has always been free to spend as much of his own money as he wants on political speech, it is not surprising that he's upset when the same freedom is extended to fellow citizens who pool their resources as corporations...MORE
Next we should think about equalizing the tax treatment of  NGO's and everybody else and overturning trust law.
After that...