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orangecattoday at 3:03 PM5 repliesview on HN

Citizens United was 100% correct. No, the government should not be able to throw you in prison because you used money to publish a book criticizing the government.


Replies

InsideOutSantatoday at 3:22 PM

> Citizens United was 100% correct

It's interesting to me that one can look back at the effects that decision has had on the US and say it "was 100% correct."

It's a bit like sitting in the burning ruins of Rome and contemplating that Nero was 100% correct to focus on his music. I mean, I'm glad he got to do what he loves, but maybe 100% is just a tiny bit of an overstatement.

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altruiostoday at 3:20 PM

It is in fact more complicated than most people assume.

The above is true, but also: companies simply are not people, and they should not be supported above the individual, which was the consequences of that decision. Money is not the same as speech. treating it as such creates an aristocracy: something America as a country rebelled against during it's formation.

appplicationtoday at 3:14 PM

Really, 100% correct? Your premise isn’t wrong, but the practical reality of the ruling (without further nuance) has been fairly catastrophic for democracy, in that it completely sidesteps campaign finance limits, which exist for a very good reason.

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fl4reguntoday at 3:17 PM

So it's 100% correct for corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money in support of whatever political campaigns they like?

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dam_jackalopestoday at 3:29 PM

Who involved in the Citizens United case was at risk of imprisonment?