The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 today that corporations' right to free speech (in the form of campaign contributions, anyway) cannot be "abridged" by the Federal Elections Commission. This decision is but the latest in a century-long line of cases that effectively treats corporate entities as persons. So, to borrow a rhetorical device from the conservative majority that handed down this piece of drivel today, how long is it going to be until the Supreme Court recognizes a corporation's right to marry? (And how will they decide which corporations are male and which are female, since the federal government only recognizes "opposite" marriages?) Will the same five justices grant certiorari when a corporation is sentenced to death? (And, if they don't, how will the execution be carried out?)
I've already seen one call for a constitutional amendment to overturn this unwise decision by the Roberts court. I've also seen a couple more calls for Congress to pass legislation to undo the worst bits of it. But I have a simpler and quicker solution. If corporations are going to be recognized as persons for the purpose of making campaign contributions, then simply pass a law requiring them to adhere to the same contribution limits as everybody else: $2,400 per candidate per election, $30,400 to a national party committee per year, $10,000 per year to state, local, and/or district committees (combined), and $5,000 to any other committee.
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