Citizens United, not Corporations United

By now, we all know that the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in 2010 to allow corporations to spend freely in elections.  In the parlance of our times, "Worst. Decision. Ever."  I don't know why this seemed to any sensible person like a good idea for the people of this country; it's obviously something that was cooked up by powerful entities who want to wrestle control of the government from the people (what control we have, that is) and shift it into the wealthy special interests.  The organization CitizensUnited does not represent citizens in the slightest! If the amounts of money spent in recent elections don't already illustrate who's controlling our legislative process, then perhaps we need to wait til the Koch brothers dump some of their billions of dollars into the presidential election this year.  The owners of this site lean so far to the right that they don't even try to hide it, except they somehow mistake serving corporate interests as a "traditional American value":

We pride ourselves on being vigorous defenders of your views and we achieve results using a variety of tools. Citizens United produces some of the most hard-hitting and influential television commercials, web advertisements, and documentaries available. These products delve deeply into the issues that matter most to the future of our country, striking a chord with people that helps awaken them to the importance of a limited government, individual responsibility, free market economy, and traditional American values.

By littering their site with patriotic rhetoric that would seem to speak for the greater good, they create the illusion that this ruling is best for all Americans.

However, I recently found an interesting article in Yes! Magazine which states that "80% of Americans oppose the holding in Citizen United and supports a constitutional amendment to reverse the decision." Yes Magazine details the origins of the case, which was created by Lewis Powell in 1971, shortly before he was selected for the Supreme Court under Nixon.  As a corporate lawyer, Powell championed corporate interests and served on the boards of directors for more than a dozen international corporations.  Hardly a man of the people.

 Additionally, the Huffington Post similarly argues the same, as legislators and citizens both are fighting to change this ruling.  As New Mexico State Representative Mimi Stewart says, "The public is starting to get it."  As I mentioned above, the money is flooding in:

Since the Citizens United decision, there's been an explosion in political spending by independent groups, which are now allowed to accept unlimited contributions from corporations, unions and individuals. Independent group spending set a record in the midterm election year of 2010 -- midterm election years usually see lower spending than presidential election years -- and is on pace to shatter that record in the 2012 election cycle.

 Enacting a constitutional amendment may look like an uphill battle, considering the power behind Citizens United, but I believe it's only a matter of time.