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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: epicure who wrote (129125)	1/23/2010 9:27:10 PM
From: Jeff Hayden	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542129

The problem is corporations are now considered full grown humans. I wonder when they get the vote? Will company mergers be considered gay marriages? The only solution is for congress to take personhood away from corporations. Maybe with an amendment to the constitution. That way the Supreme Court will understand it.

To: epicure who wrote (129125)	1/24/2010 7:21:15 AM
From: Alastair McIntosh	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542129

In the end the deepest pockets will win, and we will end up with an entrenched and supremely powerful oligarchy What seems to be a bit ironic is that the group that brought the lawsuit "Citizens United" states on its website: Citizens United is an organization dedicated to restoring our government to citizens' control. It appears that its real aims are the opposite. FWIW here are the Canadian rules: Who can donate As of January 1, 2007, only citizens and permanent residents of Canada can make political donations to registered parties, registered electoral district associations, candidates, nomination contestants and leadership contestants. Corporations, trade unions and unincorporated associations may no longer make political donations to candidates, registered electoral district associations or nomination contestants of registered parties. The existing prohibition on donations from these organizations to registered parties and leadership contestants of registered parties remains. However, an employer can give an employee who wishes to be a nomination contestant or a candidate a paid leave of absence during an election period, and that leave will not be considered a contribution. Limits on donations 1. Contribution limits from individuals are now: * no more than $1,100* in any calendar year to each registered political party * no more than $1,100* in total in any calendar year to the various entities of each registered political party (registered associations, nomination contestants and candidates) * no more than $1,100* to each independent candidate for a particular election * no more than $1,100* in total to the leadership contestants in a particular leadership contest 2. Contributions to own campaign: Nomination contestants, candidates and leadership contestants may make additional contributions from their own funds to their own campaigns. These contributions are not indexed for inflation and do not count against the individual's contribution limit. * A nomination contestant or candidate of a registered party may contribute not more than $1,000 in total from his or her own funds to his or her own campaign; contestants may divide this amount between their nomination and candidate campaigns as they wish. * A candidate in an election, who does not represent a registered party, may contribute not more than $1,000 in total from his or her own funds to his or her own campaign. * A contestant in a particular leadership contest may contribute not more than $1,000 in total from his or her own funds to his or her own campaign. There is also some public funding of political parties: Political parties are entitled to an annual allowance of $1.75 per vote received by the party in the previous election, provided that candidates endorsed by the party received at least 2% of the valid votes cast in that election or 5% of valid votes cast in the constituencies in which the party endorsed a candidate.