The HUGE deal about today's Supreme Court decision is simple

[DainBramaged]

A lobbyist can simply go to ANY politician and basically say "Unless you agree with our position on issue X, we will run ads against you and you will lose". When corporations and unions can pay for ads UP UNTIL THE CLOSE OF VOTING out of their general treasury and DEDUCT THEM as an expense, the day of the independent politician is over.


We are now The Corrupt States of America, sanctioned by the US Supreme Court.

[Abq_Sarah]

1. Did this ruling

Change the law that states political donations are not tax deductible?

[DainBramaged]

3. These aren't donations, these are MEDIA ADS now sanctioned

and can simply be put in as advertising expenses.


It means I can start a corporation, and run ads against any candidate I choose and there is NOTHING that anyone can do or say against it. I can say what I please, whenever I please, and I don't need a PAC to funnel money. I simply can buy ad time for my jaunty little hate ad knocking Candidate X because he is against Corporation Y's skunk juice.

[Javaman]

7. Ironically, it could be the politicians themselves that might find this...

the most disturbing.

The right wing maybe singing its praises now, but nothing stops me or anyone else from putting out bullshit commercials against them.

They may have just fucked themselves as well.

[Marr]

17. Money does.

I'll expect the big conglomerates will purchase every advertising block for days before the election-- long before they even know what they're going to run in them.

[Javaman]

18. Good point. nt

[Tesha]

5. When (say) Archer-Daniels-Midland runs an ad, they're not making a donation to anyone. (NT)

[Javaman]

8. But they are giving free publicity to the candidate of their choice.

if joe blow candidate gets into the pocket of AMD, then suddenly, AMD can become the promotional arm of that candidates party.

See how it works?

It's like signing endorsement deals with sporting goods corps. As long as the candidate mentions AMD every so often in his or her speech, the bases are covered.

"blah blah blah, the good people at AMD have provided the food for blah blah blah".

[KamaAina]

13. You mean ADM

here in Silicon Valley, AMD is Advanced Micro Devices, a chipmaker that struggles to compete with giant Intel.

Of course, AMD (or Intel, more likely) could do the same thing. :eyes:

[Javaman]

16. Does it matter?

it's the point that corps have free reign now.

[Abq_Sarah]

12. I'll take a further look at this later

But I'm pretty sure the courts have already addressed companies and groups trying to write off commercials of a political nature as tax deductible.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

9. I would imagine...

...that only applies if the state in question collects taxes, doesn't already exempt "political speech" and the corporation isn't out of state registered.

IOW: FL can't tax someone doing business in NY even if the company NY bought ait time in FL. So all a corporation has to do is register out of the state they target.

I dunno; I could be wrong.

[notesdev]

2. They can already do that

They just funnel the money through laundering channels.

When our government is already near 100% bought out, it's a little late to be worrying about corporate influence. Haven't you been paying attention over the past year while the corps used our reps to openly loot the Treasury?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

4. It's almost enough to consider giving up cable TV

I'm not sure I am going to permit myself to be assaulted with lies 24/7. I'd be happier and wealthier if I did anyway. Probably would be better off reading the tubes (as long as they continue to let us have that) and just watching worthwhile movies, documentaries and old TV shows.

Listening to the radio became unpleasant - I stopped that. I stopped watched Political TV - MTP, etc. once it became wall-to-wall Repubs. I can't say I miss either one at all

Someone needs to come up with a cable system based on that old premise they sold pay TV to us with in the first place - Use our system and you won't see ads.

What I really hate is how some group that wants to melt the icecaps and use the water to boil polar bears with and then sell the meat for profit will come on with some ad that shows little cubs frolicking with an announcer who intones "Save the Polar Bears. Tell your Senator to pass Senate bill 666. Brought to you by the Committee for Responsible Polar Bearism". And when you Google the Committee for Responsible Polar Bearism you discover that it is run by the people who own the polar bear rendering plants and Senate Bill 666 gives them extra funding to keep up with the demand for polar bear meat. That's what I really hate.

[KharmaTrain]

14. Ala Carte Cable...

This proposal has been sitting around for a long time...one the FCC has the power to put into law. This would allow you to decide which channels you want to subscribe to. The television industry hates the idea as they get money from the number of homes a cable system "passes" through...with Ala Carte I'm sure many people would gladly opt out of Home Shopping and religious channels. So the plans are already there, but the heavy lobbying power of the cable industry and the networks keeps it from moving forward.

Bottom line is no one holds a gun to anyone's head as to what to watch. I find myself watching more NatGeo and Discovery and less of the "news channels". If I do watch news, I look for BBC or DW news...a far different perspective than the corporate channels here. As far as the commercials, I always note those that waste so much on commercials and avoid doing business with them...be assured that if they're throwing that kind of money to slime the airwaves, the customer is the one who pays for it. Let them find another sucker.

As far as radio...I've posted this many many times...there's a need to "revisit" Telcom '96...reregulate the public airwaves that have become a private country club of a handful of corporates who replaced local information and programming with satellites and hate spewers.

[classysassy]

6. The return of the surfs

Mission completed,the middle class has ben destroyed.

[cilla4progress]

10. Oh yeah -

I think we all better prepare ourselves for becoming a third world country. Pay off everything you can; grow a garden, if you can, or throw in with others who have land. Retrench and, sadly, take care of your OWN, first. Something I always struggled against. Gated communities and all, y'know.

[DainBramaged]

11. HI, WE'RE JOHNSON & JOHNSON AND WE'RE AGAINST HEALTH CARE REFORM

We've been able to bring you low prices on all of the products you love for decades, but if health care reform passes, we'll have to raise those prices and you won't be happy. So vote for Blotto McFatCat, he's against health care reform and he'll help you keep prices low.


That's what's coming to a TV, radio or computer screen near you.

[Ignis]

15. +1, that's the long and short of it

Horrible, horrible ruling. :puke:

Thanks for fighting so very hard against Alito's nomination, Democrats! :eyes:

[B Calm]

19. We have the best government corporations can buy!