Corporate Political Campaign Spending Is Democracy for Sale

What comes to mind when one considers the act of bribery? Like many people, a plethora of negative actions and ideas probably come to mind. Possibilities that may come to mind are things like, corruption, deceit, fraud, schemes, and other illicit activity or transactions. This is where an important question arises. What, then, is the difference between bribery and corporate political campaign funding? It is plain to see that the answer ranges somewhere between nothing and very little. In today’s political world democracy is for sale. For starters, take a look at what this corporate political campaign funding really is. This type of funding is, as the name suggests, money provided to a campaign from a corporation with the expectation that†¦show more content†¦Why are they allowed to buy democracy? And, most importantly, why is democracy even for sale? In America, there exists an organization called the Federal Election Commission (FEC). They are in charge of maintainin g federal campaign finance laws. The three main objectives covered by finance laws are â€Å"public disclosure of funds raised and spent to influence federal elections, restrictions on contributions and expenditures made to influence federal elections, and the public financing of Presidential campaigns.† Corporations donating money on behalf of a candidate is a relatively new practice; originally this type of backing was strictly forbidden by these finance laws. But, in 2010, after the Citizens United v. Federal Election Committee ruling of the Supreme Court, these laws were altered. This allowed corporation and labor unions to donate money to political campaigns in the form of PACs, or Political Action Committees. Just months after the Citizens United ruling, the ruling of Speechnow.org v. Federal Election Committee modified the laws further. Super PACs, also known as independent expenditure-only groups were permitted to be used to back a candidate; these types of groups c an donate unlimited sums of money as long as they do not directly communicate with the candidate in which they are backing. Although the rules restrict coordination between candidates and the super Political Action Committees, the definition of â€Å"coordination† is sometimes seen asShow MoreRelatedCitizens United for Arguments1260 Words   |  6 Pagesturnout Subpoint A: Voter turnout is a pre-requisite to the election process A flourishing democracy presupposes citizens who care, who are willing to take part, and who are capable of helping to shape the common agenda of a society. Participation through the act of voting, is always seen as an essential prerequisite of stable democracy. 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