Congress should change the law so that only registered voters can donate to political campaigns

[Xipe Totec]

Since corporations cannot register to vote, they would not be able to donate either.

[SunsetDreams]

1. Kick and Rec!

[jobycom]

2. That would never pass the Equal Protection clause, or the First Amendment. nt

[RaleighNCDUer]

5. Why not? There is nothing to prevent anyone from registering,

and, in fact, making a political donation could be directly tied to registering - that is, when you make the donation, you are automatically registered.

Is somebody who is under 18 being denied equal protection because they can't vote?

Is anyone being denied their right to speak by not buying TV advertising at $50k/min?

The problem is the nonsense that money=speech, and that corporation=person. To come to these positions a judge has to tie himself into knots - giving more reason for people to disregard the rule of law.

It may not pass THIS court, but it would pass virtually every OTHER SC of the past 200 years.

[jobycom]

7. Because if someone doesn't want to or can't register

then they aren't provided the same rights as those who do.

Maybe you're right. I'd have to hear more arguments and facts. My first reaction is always to hate restrictions on individuals, and I come from the South where most such restrictions were created to keep African Americans from voting. I'm just suspicious of any of them. We keep looking for some magic law that's going to make things easy on us, and that's just never going to happen. People with money are always going to get their message out there more than we are. I just don't see any laws changing that. We just have to work harder.

[depakid]

10. One solution would be mandatory voting- as Australia has

Serves Aussies well- though I imagine that, like most civic duties, Americans would have a cow about it.

[daleanime]

3. I like it...

which of course means it will never happen.

[Armstead]

4. Hmmmmm....

[zipplewrath]

6. Are they citizens?

I'm curious, isn't there a prohibition against foreign nationals from making political contributions? What establishes a corporations "citizenship"? Can they be conscripted?

[Orangepeel]

8. Corporations can't and still can't contribute directly

"Federal law has long barred corporations from contributing directly to federal political candidates, and Thursday's ruling keeps that restriction in place."

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703699204575016942930090152.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories

It's just that now, they don't have to. They can just buy all the ad time available to advocate for or against a candidate.

[Xipe Totec]

9. Point taken - I stand corrected

However, the sentiment is this; why should corporations be treated like people?

[Orangepeel]

11. they shouldn't

we agree on that.

[Hello_Kitty]

13. So they're independent expenditures. That explains it. eom

[SnoopDog]

12. The problem remains....

It is the 'free speech' part that is the problem.

They could still flood the media with 'advertisements' to either promote or demote a candidate...