Real World Event Discussions

Supreme Court ruling on money and free speech

POSTED BY: HKCavalier
UPDATED: Wednesday, March 25, 2026 22:50
VIEWED: 10274
PAGE 4 of 20

KWICKO

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:10 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bytemite:
Kwicko: Candidacy should be based on a petition method. Not money.

Granted, but we're talking about REALITY here, not idealism. If we were talking about what should be, rather than what is, we'd be discussing my upcoming coronation as king o' this dump. :) (sarcasm definitely intended).

But even the petition method is now wide open to Abuse By Money™. Think about it. If I, the CEO of Giant MegaCorp, want a certain candidate on the ballot, I have but to hire a team to get the petition online, hire a PR company to get the word out, and hire an ad agency to buy time on the networks and place banner ads everywhere my target demographic might look. And of course, I'll *know* my target demographic, because I'll have bought the right research to find them.

So again, money wins.

We can't change the system until we learn how to use it against itself.

Mike

Work is the curse of the Drinking Class.
- Oscar Wilde

WULFENSTAR

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:11 PM

SIGNYM

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:14 PM

Quote:
I'm with you 1200%!

Shit. Sorry dude, that was a typo. I meant 2000%.

KWICKO

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
The dystopian visions of the future are coming to pass.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

The laughing Chrisisall

Or, alternatively,

"Thank you for your corporation."

Works just as well in this context.

SIGNYM

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:16 PM

Wouldn't it be a HOOT to start a reality TV show based on... Choose Your Candidate!????

WULFENSTAR

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:17 PM

"Shit. Sorry dude, that was a typo. I meant 2000%."

Stop it...

I just passed out again and hit my head.

Now it hurts.

WULFENSTAR

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:17 PM

"Shit. Sorry dude, that was a typo. I meant 2000%."

Stop it...

I just passed out again and hit my head.

Now it hurts.

KWICKO

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:18 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Wulfenstar:
"Strength through Unity. Unity through Faith."

and what took THAT down, was a singular person... bent on freeing the people.

Or, if you read the original "1984" that it was lifted from, they weren't taken down at all. They won.

RUE

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:19 PM

Bytemite
Candidacy should be based on a petition method. Not money.

Kwicko
Granted, but we're talking about REALITY here, not idealism.

BTW, that's the major problem with the proposition system in California. You'd THINK it would be a way to get direct democracy. But what happens is a wealthy individual, group of individuals, corporation, or group of corporations create a fictitious group, then fund the group and all its petition signing efforts. The more people you have out there flogging the petitions, the more chance they have of getting on the ballot. And THEN they spend money to sell it to 'the people' who often don't even read the ballots, but instead vote with their gut. Many, many bad laws have gotten on the books that way, for example Prop 13, the single biggest factor in bankrupting California (and tranferring billions from homeowners to large landholding corporate interests, like railways and ulilities.)

***************************************************************

Silence is consent.

WULFENSTAR

Thursday, January 21, 2010 7:20 PM

"Or, if you read the original "1984" that it was lifted from, they weren't taken down at all. They won."

Thats why its called fiction.

NOT saying we dont have a long, tough fight ahead of us.