And, quite frankly, it’s about time someone did something about the utterly ridiculous Citizens United ruling, which has allowed billionaires like Elon Musk to basically buy their way into power – I mean, who needs democracy when you have billions of dollars to throw around, right (because that’s exactly what our founding fathers had in mind, I’m sure)?
But, anyway, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal is trying to do something about it, introducing a constitutional amendment that would reverse the Citizens United decision – because, you know, corporations are not people (no matter how many times they try to convince us otherwise) and money is not speech (although, apparently, it can buy you a lot of speech, if you know what I mean).
And, let’s be real, the fact that Elon Musk spent over $270 million on President Donald Trump’s campaign and is now raking in the benefits is just the icing on the cake – I mean, who needs ethics or morals when you have that kind of cash to throw around, right (by the way, has anyone seen my coffee, I think I left it in the other room)?
Now, I know what you’re thinking – what’s the point of all this – and, quite honestly, it’s a good question, because, let’s face it, the Citizens United ruling has been a complete disaster for democracy, allowing special interest groups and billionaires to buy their way into power and undermine the democratic process – but, hey, at least Pramila Jayapal is trying to do something about it, introducing the We the People Amendment, which would specify that corporations are not people and money is not speech (although, I’m sure, there are plenty of lawyers out there who would argue otherwise).
And, in a surprising turn of events, it seems that Brendan Fischer over at Rolling Stone agrees with me (well, not really, but just go with it) – pointing out that Elon Musk’s influence over President Donald Trump and the Republican Party is not just due to his wealth and celebrity status, but also because of the massive amounts of money he’s poured into super PACs – which, of course, is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the corrupting influence of money in politics.
But, I mean, what’s the solution to all this, right – well, according to Cole Bennett, legislative co-director of Move to Amend, it’s the We the People Amendment, which would end all corporate constitutional rights and money as free speech – because, you know, that’s the only way to restore democracy and ensure that our government is actually of the people, by the people, and for the people (not just the billionaires and special interest groups) – and, hey, if you want to learn more about it, be my guest.