20,000 Americans wrote a letter to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Citizens have the right to “life liberty and the pursuit of happiness”  Corporations do not have life, there fore they are not persons. Change it now or go DOWN in history.

To the SCOTUS: what did you THINK would happen if Big Biz is given the right to buy our elections process?

I am so pleased to see a bipartisan effort to overturn this egregious decision and take us toward a sane system of campaign finance.

“We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests”  - Franklin D. Roosevelt  1932

I telly DON’T wan he best government mony can buy. I want votes based on un-spun policy to decide, thank you very much!

The adage, “money talks,” is just that–it appears some otherwise intelligent people sitting on this court take it literally.  A corporation is not a sentient being; it cannot be a citizen, vote in a state or federal election, or perform any of the biological functions of a human being (breathe, eat, eliminate, walk, talk, think, exist as a biological entity).  Money is not speech and incorporation cannot magically grant biological sentience required of personhood.  While the legal jargon behind the concept of incorporation may have confused some of the judges on this court, it appears they threw logic out the window when they tried to use the semantics which allow a business that has incorporated to shield the real people who are participants, you seemed to have forgotten that the intent of the laws of incorporation were to protect real, live, sentient persons that form a corporation or own part of one.  Until corporations do not need real people to function, they are not people and not entitled to the fiction of personhood for political purposes.  This has to be the worst ruling in the history of the Supreme Court (although the appointment of George W. Bush as President is very close); it takes semantic-twisting to new levels and shows us that those who ruled in favor of Citizens United were operating solely on a political agenda (ala Milton Friedman), but not truely protecting and defending the U. S. Consititution or even demonstrating a shred of deductive logic. 

Democracy is not free, but it should not be for sale.  Voters, not billionaires with their own selfish interests, should decide our elections.

I agree that this ruling by the Supreme Court was crap, and I hope they overturn it, but if they really want to fix the problem, all congress has to do is make lobbying illegal. I guess they think it will be easier to convince a simple majority of nine people to do the right thing than a super majority of congress.

Our elected representatives in Congress now spend their time raising money, instead of on the critical issues faced by America. Stop that by Campaign Finance Reform/Public Funding of elections; then Congress should improve and corporations will not be able to buy/bribe electors. Lets open to candidates the broadcasting frequencies owned by all of us, and have limits on spending!

When the peoples vote is swayed by money America is on a downward spiral into a cast like system where we have the few, the very rich and two classes of poor.  Very poor and just poor like other countrys have.  Make no mistake about it, the ul;tra rich would love this.!

I heard a defender of Citizen’s United claim it gives us more information, as if that information was unbiased and truthful.  What it really does is give the extremely rich the unchecked ability to spread propaganda in support of the puppets they are supporting for office.  Overturn Citizen’s United, the worst decision ever made by SCOTUS.

Citizens united ruling is ruining America.  Rescind that ruling now!

Swallow your pride,overide your previous ruling.

This is needed to get b ack to the old days.  Money is ruinning our democracy. 

I strongly support the efforts of the
good Senators asking the Supreme court to revisit the Citizens United
ruling. Corporations are not people in the Constitutional sense of
the term “people” All corporate speech is commercial promotion
of the bottom line of the corporation no matter what public-minded
motive the corporation might want to imply, and it may be regulated
by the People in the same manner and for the same public good as the
law requires health warnings on cigarette packs.

It is time the U.S. Supreme Court cleans an indecorous judicial (activist) blunder that shames us all – its 5-4 ruling on CITIZENS UNITED.

But I so LOVE, “$1, One Vote!

Perhaps more than any other issue, ‘Citizens United’ has done just that; united us against it!

Save our democracy from this never-should-have-been-made ruling that is destroying the voice of the majority of Americans.

It’s never too late, get the money out now!!!!How could  this Supreme Cort rule as they did????

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=N00009638

Only humans are persons.  Any other view is foolishness, and a disgrace to the Supreme Court.

Thank you Senator McCain for extracting yourself from the “no machine” known today as the Republican Party.  This legalized bribery must stop.

I would donate money except for my rigid rule: Donate only to Planned Parenthood of Minnesota. They are getting all my funds in my will. 

I am SICK of watching big corporations BUYING elections!  It happened right here in Washington state by Costco privatizing liquor sales.  It also happened in my job when Lockheed Martin took over (and ruined) the Flight Service network.  

Stop – “Goverment of the rich, by the rich, for the rich.

“I’ll believe a corporation is a person WHEN Texas puts one to death!”

The rich and business people DO NOT CREATE JOBS! This is a BIG LIE created to con the American people. Jobs are created by the Middle Class and NOT the wealthy or corporations.

REASON 1: If you take all the money out of the middle class and give to the rich and big corporations they why would they want to spend money creating jobs to produce something that no one has they money to buy it? Answer: They won’t create jobs.

REASON 2: If you put people to work they will have money to spend and then and only then will those that have money to invest in creating products and services will create jobs to get some of the money that they have.

REASON 3: Balance of natural economic. If all the money flows to the 1% and they don’t give it up then all the wealth in the rest of the country dries up and dies. Simply put, if the water in the mountains runs down into streams in which flows into rivers and eventually into the Oceans what replaces the water in the mountains? There needs to be something that takes some of the water in the form of clouds that brings it back to the mountains. If you break the cycle everything will wither and die.

If we want any hope of having a democracy in the next few years…we MUST overturn Citizens United. Now what is happening is the rich are winning with many ads on t.v. and papers and the fight is not a fair one.  What will happen is that only those with a great deal of money can even apply….is that what we want for America?  America has always been fuled by some rich but mostly the middle class. With Citizen’s United, the middle class does not stand a chance and ordinary, good guys/gals will not be able to run for office.  The country will be controlled by the rich and we all know that would be a bad thing for any country.  We should let the two parties fight it out with words and campaigns not with who has the most money. Way ttoo much money is spent on campaigns …we could feed a nation with that money. What is happening in Wisconsin is disgraceful because 200,000 people signed a petition to get Scott Walker out and now because of the Koch Bros and Citizen’s United…the people will not get their way.  Mr. Walker continues to fudge employment figures even though the people know he is lying it cannot be proven until after the election and then it will be too late. Emergency Service people are also eroding the democracy in t his nation by pushing out duly elected people and replacing them with their own people with the power to close down schools, business’ radio stations and anything it deems necessary…kicking our eleclted officials…can you believe this?  Between these  two things, Emergency Service People (put in charge by the rich) and Citizen’s United ….our freedoms are vanishing and American is headed down a sorry path. 

Republicans AND Democrats are behind this!  Please support McCain’s efforts. Not knowing the source of massive donations to our politicians is the surest way to lose our voice!

Since when is a balance sheet item speech?  This ruling is a textbook example of bad jurisprudence.  The ruling was absurd.  It did not uphold our right to free speech and national debate, but rather attacked it, by ruling that those with full pocketbooks and empty heads were allowed to drown out all other voices, as well as buy elections, legislation, and favors.  Speaking of buying elections, legislation, and favors, it couldn’t be possible to buy a ruling could it?  I didn’t think so, but this ruling is so painfully stupid I can’t rid myself of the question.  The words we speak or write, and the art we create, and the
performances we give are considered speech and protected by the
Constitution. 
That said, we are not guaranteed the right to inflict our work on the Nation unless they choose to actively purchase our work or attend a performance.  I strongly object to Citizens United because its affect has been to channel obscene distortions of truth, outright lies, misrepresentations of fact, outright deceit, and other unwanted obscenities into my consciousness.  Just because it is political porn doesn’t make it ok.  The garbage generated by  the Citizens United Ruling should clearly be packaged with a Warning Label.  Something like this:  “This material is designed to deceive and mislead the viewer.  The authors are lying to you because the truth is damaging to their self interest, while be good for the viewers self interest.  The authors hope the viewer votes against his own best interest.”

Up hill battle. The corporations and their lobbyists own our politicians. Lobbying (BRIBERY) should be ILLEGAL. 
 

It’s not just citizen united but it is definitely something that needs to go.  The ruling simply ramped up a already existing problem. youtube search Boehner handing out checks. This was back in the 90′s and look who speaker of the house is now. Just goes to show what/where playing ball will get you.

Absolutely horrifying. Exactly the same picture in the third world, only here, it is even more potent with the huge wealth. Where else do we run to if “the land of the free and hope of the brave” has degenerated to this? Horrifying.

I am tired of the money game in politics. Please don’t let our government be decided by who has the most to spend. America can do better than this !!!

We cannot endure this taking control of our elections. It is the most awful bill that I’ve seen in my lifetime of voting, and I am 83 years of age.

Never really been a McCain fan, but he has tried to keep the outbalanced issue of money out of electoral politics. We need real reform, and it will take more than two Senators, but this is a start.  Money has corrupted our democracy, and should be erased from the equation. We have the worst government that money can  buy.  Talk about “activist” judges!  

Quite simply the most damaging ruling in 150 years . It should not take an amendment
to the constitution .

First – a group of ducks is not a duck . So corporations are not persons . They can outlive
us – and are not subject to the same laws as persons . Indeed corporationhood is a legal
gimmick to escape liability .

As for spending money being a form of speech … uhhh … no …. we must draw the
line on what is speech and what is unencombered action . Spending money indiscriminately
and without accountability is an action . Not all action is speech . One can speak and speak
and speak without spending money . And one can spend money without speaking . So money
is not speech .  True money is useful for certain forms of speech . But as a handmaiden tool -
it can be controlled by law without restraining speech .  If you tape a man’s mouth and tie
his hands – yes that restrains speech .

Please rescind this ruling — you have changed our democracy into a plutocracy .

I am one hundred percent behind the effort to put an immediate stop to Citizens United.  It has the potential to destroy our freedom to chose our own leaders, and ultimately, our Democratic way of life.  Let’s get behind McCain and Whitehouse to end this corrupt system with the passage of a Constitutional Amendment.  

Corporations buying politicians is the definition of corruption.

I am so energized to think that there are members of Congress willing to encourage the Supreme Court to reconsider their unfortunate decision to give citizen power to corporations. It is ruining our government and thus our entire country with increased greed on one hand and increased destitution on the other. We are becoming like a third world country, with decreasing democracy.

I daresay that some of these justices were–I hope–among those of us protesting the Viet Nam war and the greed of big business.  Today, I daresay that some of those supporting Citizens United were among those suspicious of big business’s nearly 50 years ago. 

Citizen United is ruining our Democracy
We need to #GetMoneyOut immediately. 
This is our Country “We The People” Not the Corporations 

Get these greasy rat bast**d billionaires out of our politics. Must we prove it at the polls in 2012? Surely we will anyway. The problem that we have today is that we have unbridled global capitalism without global regulation. Because of this condition upheaval and tumult is on its way today and there is no way that I know of to prevent it. What is to come will be much more than a tempest in a teacup. Much, much more. I blame the lazy “investors” much, much more than I blame the so called welfare recipients in the world today. If revolution is necessary then this is what needs be.

Corporations are not people or citizens. As an entity, they can change their makeup (personnel, not mascara), they can continue after the “head” dies, and they can bundle the power of single individuals. These are all things that any single citizen cannot do and therefore, they should not be accorded the rights that belong to us as singular citizens. They have plenty of other ways to capitalize on their own special properties, but influencing our voting process so radically should not be one of them–it is wrong and will destroy our democracy.

I’ve been waiting for this, Americans one and all finally have a platform to fight for our democracy. We can stop the small minority that want to corrupt the process with money and for money.

Citizens United is one of the worst decisions to have ever been reached by the Supreme Court of the United Court because it treads on the personnel liberties of the people.CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE! The individuals who work for corporatioua have individual liberty, but a corporation is only a bunch of words written by individuals and then granted legal standing by the citizens to operate as one kind of business.The Constitution does not grant the citizens or it’s elected representatives to give any type of a business individual liberty.

You have distorted our democracy with this disgraceful decision,and the use of no-profit is just a further disgrace. Fix the mistake now.

this is Gorilla dust. The legislature has the power to change election laws. Pettitioning the Supremes for redress in this climate is a joke. If you put a bill on the floor that makes all contributions transparent and either no caps or equal caps on alll that is a solution

Stop the madness, cooperations are not people!

i think that you are using the senators’ name to expand your mailing list. I was going to add my name to their list, not yours. 

KILL CITIZENS UNITED NOW

I’ve never felt so disenfranchised until the Supreme Court ruled in favor of corporations and big money.  I want my democracy back!

Our representatives are supposed to be representing us and not those that can contribute to the largest amount to their campaign, Corporations are not people and have never been. At the rate this is going, by the end of this election cycle, our goverment will for the mega rich and by the mega rich.

Our Democracy and electoral process should not be for sale to the highest bidder. Unlimited non transparent campaign donations have our elected officials in the pockets of big Corporations and the super rich. Our Governmet no longer represents “We The People” but rather the special money interests. Washington now operates on a system of legalized bribery!

Corporations are NOT people! End Corporate Rule! Abolish Corporate pesonhood! Restore Democracy in the U.S.A.!

Citizens United is an affront to our democracy and to our sensibilities for justice and fair play.  We have seen the damage the Super Pacs have done to undermine our political process.  The time to reverse Citizens United is NOW!

I am 86 years old and have had a front row seat.   From where I sit, control of politics by the extremely wealthy has always been with us, going back to reading Abigain Adams and her time.   However, it has come to a CRISIS where we can no longer count on a fair two-party system but a Congress completely controlled by the money interests.

I want the BEST not only for my children and other children but I want it for the survival of a great country that with all the good and all the blemishes, remains too wonderful not to save and revive the values and ethics that have sustained her…to this precipice.   Ordinary citizins, the bulwark of our democracy, are in DANGER.

i aim 74 the bush family has corrupted this country there should be a recall on the ballet including the supreme court i wont be her to much longer but you young ones will your in a fight for lives and your children they wont stop on tile you have to beg for a place to live and eat the use the church but there  e veal basters and use god to rune this country they have been working on this for a long time      joe in fl      

In the beginning of our country,  the founders believed that representatives to Congress would be full-time citizens and very part-time politicians.  It’s time we reverse the trend and get back to our roots!  Full-time citizens don’t need to tak money handouts, they have their own businesses and incomes.

NOW or never fellow americans!!!

Not since the days of the robber barons has our democracy been so ‘for sale’ to the highest bidder, thanks in large part to the Citizens United decision.

When corporations can be jailed and otherwise held accountable for the damage they do – up to and including execution – their money cannot be considered ‘free speech’ because it’s NOT free!

We claim to be a democratic nation, which Lincoln well described as “government of the people, by the people, and for the people.”  But so long as individuals and organizations are able to spend unlimited amounts of money on elections and lobbying, that claim cannot be accurate.  Instead of a democracy, we have become a plutocracy, government of, by, and for the wealthy.

crony capitalism, corporate fascism, Big Government, Big Business….doesn’t much matter what it is called, it is and it is powerful but it cannot stand the light of day…  Dr.B

We’ve lost our way. Humanity has been mowed down by lust for money. One man, one vote. How many obvious ways can we put it? Don’t let billionaires take our votes or diminish their value! We’ve fought these wars to “bring democracy to ________(fill in the name of the oil-rich country here.) How about hanging onto our own democracy??

Walter D. Van Gieson

Please bring back the rights of the common man to have his vote count instead of the votes being bought by big business and foreign ciuntries. I fought for this country in WWII and I want that  my service and the service of my 40 million comrades that have served sin ce the minute men of the revolution should not be betrayed.

what we need is a one, 6 year pres. term, funded by ”we the people”, not by ”we the motivated zillionairs..   a possible 2nd 6 year term but not consecutively… carl scala

We must return the one-man-one-vote rule to power. If we continue to allow the wealthy to control OUR government via their wealth, we will sink into a semi-feudalistic system in which the majority will live at the pleasure of those who have the money to make “campaign contributions,” which, of course, is simply control by means of wealth.

Reverse the Citizens United Decision. NOW!

Citizens United GIVES this country away to corporations.  It denies the individual citizen the right to be heard, the right to participate in a democracy and it crushes our right to prevail over moneyed interests.  The individual American no longer mattes under Citizens United.  The United States of America is in deep, dire need of campaign finance reform. CU only serves to concentrate power in the hands of corporations and puts their interests above the tax-paying people of this country.  It’s patently illegal and should be overturned as soon as possible.

Campaign Finance Reform is the ONLY way to get your Congress back from the Lobbyists who control the Congressional agenda and Votes with their Campaign Cash . http://www.campaignfinancereforms.org
Nothing else will work to finally bring social and economic justice and fairness to the 99%ers.

Business entities are not individuals and should not be treated as same.  They are created by a state and are not federal citizens.  To permit an entity to contribute as much money as it chooses to influence an election is to deprive each individual citizen of the United States of his or her vote… To limit the amount of money any individual may contribute to an election and concurrenlty permit an entity to contribute unlimited funds is to deprive each citizen of the value and quality of his or her vote.  Our Supreme Court Justices must be above any inkling of political bias – this is a country “of the people, for the people, by the people” – a corporate entity can be of, for and by one person – or one other entity – and yet the supreme Court has given that “one person or entity” the ability to outspend all American citizens combined; and we now see that this is what some are coming close to doing.

Jerome Allan Landau  

We Americans who are alive now have a responsebilty to have Citizens United overturned to protect generations alive now and in the future from having a goverment who is bought and paid for by corporations and speciial interest groups. We must make sure there is a clear and transperent system in place so that all the people can see who is giving money to any political party. The system in place now is so ripe with coruption it is sickening. This I hope is the beginning of the end of the current system. Ed 

Citizens United is one U.S. Supreme Court Decision which, definitely, needs to be overturned!

It has always been that money talks and bullshit walks, until now. We changed the conversation through the Occupy movement; now we need to change how we elect our leadership. It’s time to get past the sound bites!

Our democracy for sale to the highest bidder? This abomination needs to stop. Citizens of all political parties and independents as well are opposed to this in majority percentages. This is not what the founding fathers intended for this country, and it is having a negative effect on all of us!

The Supreme Court has turned into partisan politicians with life-long tenure and the last say in the rule of law… Isn’t that precisely what the founders sought to prevent with the judicial branch (supposedly) not aligned with or influenced by political parties…
The Supreme court is rapidly becoming the obstacle to Democracy, and the enemy of the constitution…

Citizens United is the worst ruling the Supreme Court has ever made.  It has created a political monster which must be overturned.

Corporations are NOT citizens, they are global entities, beholden to no country. That is why we can’t allow corporations to have same rights as an American citizen. As a citizen, my fate is tied to the fate of my country. A corporation can just pick up and move when things go down the tubes. Corporations are responsible only to their shareholders.

It boggles my mind that the Supreme Court, an un-elected body can take such a radically activist stance and change the way our political system works, undermining the democracy our country was originally based on.

How can we allow a Supreme Court ruling to undermine the very foundation of our democracy.  We expect the Supreme Court to uphold the concept that every citizen who has a heart and breathes deserves equal protection and equal opportunity under the law.  Corporations are not people in any real sense of the word.  Citizens United, fully realized, transfers power from “we the people” to corporations.  Citizens v United is destroying our precious democracy.  The idea of one man, one vote is rendered completely meaningless by the obscene influence of money in our elections and on our elected representatives.  Corporations are only obligated to make money for their shareholders.  Someone once said, “What’s good for general motors, is good for the country” but there is much more to America than the “bottom line”.  The decision should be overturned by amendment or the court’s own action in order to preserve our democracy.  It is shameful that we have such a partisan court.

The SCOTUS ruling in Santa Clara County vs. Southern Pacific
Railroad in 1886 was a severe blow to representative government. It was absurd
to grant the constitutional rights of persons to legal fictions that are
designed to shield the individuals who own and operate them from legal
responsibility for their actions. Citizens United vs. FEC, in combination with
this past ruling, is simply the END of representative government. Like any
large organism, the United States may take a while to die, but we’re seeing the
death spasms even now. Unless Citizens United is overturned, or
constitutionally nullified, the great experiment begun back in the 1770’s is
over, and the Roberts Court will live in INFAMY as the corrupt body that killed
it.
 

I strongly urge the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision in Citizens United. This ruling is likely to go down in history as one of the Court’s worst decisions. It will most certainly invite corruption. For the sake of our survival as a democracy, please reverse this ruling and allow the people to have a fighting chance to make their voices heard without being drowned out by unlimited corporate spending.

The Citizens United decision stands out as possibly the most ill advised ruling to ever come out of the Supreme Court. It goes against the interest of our citizenry and reeks of political self interest. It saddens me to think that the majority who endorsed this ruling does not see the harmful impact that it has had on our country. I have never witnessed a more partisan display of power than the ruling rendered by these five Justices. Surely, they cannot truly justify this ruling in their own minds and if they can, they should  not be serving on the Supreme Court.

How can it not be seen that money has corrupted the political process. All who are qualified to run for any office should
have equal access to the media. No more, no less. I would go so far as to say that access should be awarded to each candidate
equally and FREE with the total time capped. The cost of elections should be covered by a centralized pool of funds.
The corrupting influence- money, must be mitigated or removed totally somehow.

The Roberts court knew exactly what it was doing when it passed citizens united. Conservatives believe that oligarchy is the best form of rule for our country, and this legislation facilitates it. After only 2 or 3 more election cycles citizens united will have taken full effect. Corporations will have taken full control of what’s left of the government. There will be a permanent slave class that is unable to stand up for any rights they have left because their lives are totally dependant on the corporation that gives them just enough to stay alive. That is, unless there’s a peasant revolt first.

Money is not speech.  It’s property.
Corporations don’t vote.
Corporations don’t have birth certificates.

THEREFORE, THE CITIZENS UNITED RULING IS INVALID.

I do believe that the Citizens United ruling is in favor of the self-interests of big business & corporations. That is a reflection on the Supreme Court itself that is supposed to show fairness to the people of this country.

The idea that political contributions of money are entitled to the protection of the First Amendment is absurd, and toxic to democracy. This is really stretching the First Amendment so far as to violate its intended purpose, the protection of democracy by preserving dialogue. It is crucial that this decision be overturned.

I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard about the Citizens United Decision. I was appalled. It just doesn’t make sense.

If money equals free speech, doesn’t this mean that wealthy factions have a BIGGER VOICE in government? And if so, isn’t this anti-democracy?
If a corporation has all the rights of a citizen, does it also have all the responsibilities? Corporations are people? No, corporations are PAPER, my friend! CEOs, workers, clients, shareholders, are people – natural persons.

We the People! What part, of We the People, do corporations get to annex? You the Supreme court injected this into our discord, NO president ever asked for it, NO legislature ever asked for it, NO voter ever asked for it. You, and you alone pushed this! You should be ashamed, if I had my way you would be impeached! You have done more harm to this great country then any treasonous act ever perpetrated against We the People.   

I have always had great respect for the Court and its members.   It makes no sense to me why such a highly respected group of men and women would vote in favor of Citizens United.    What did you think would happen?  Did you really think that corporations would play nice? 

I can’t help but wonder who influenced you regarding Citizens United.  Certainly not the citizens!   Gee, it must have been the big corporations.

If the big corporations want to throw away money I can think of many useful ways to spend it: educate laid off workers so they can return to work; help people stay in their homes; keep women and children safe….should I go on?

Do the right thing.  Be accountable for this grave error in judgement and reverse Citizens United.

The right of Free Speech is granted to people, not anonymous donors.

Democracy. That’s dictated by the will of the MAJORITY of people, not corporations. The only thing Supreme about you ruling is your IGNORANCE and AUDACITY. Just more 1% indentured servants.

The Citizens United decision effectively transformed our government from a democracy to a plutocracy–i.e., government by the wealthy. This is fundamentally unpatriotic as it violates the principles upon which our country was formed. Government BY the wealthy means government FOR the wealthy–i.e., what has become known as “the 1%.” That is, the wealthy BRIBE our representatives to make decisions that benefit only the 1%, while jeopardizing the health, the safety, and the well-being of the 99%. This is “class warfare,” i.e., the 1% have declared war on the 99%, and they are getting away with it. Citizens United MUST be reversed, or the USA will have forfeited its stature as the symbol of the “free world.” 

 Dear Judge Roberts,

Thank you! I inherited $500,000,000 from dear old dad when he passed his oil fortune on to me, and it’s nice to know that AT BIRTH, I had five hundred million times the free speech rights as my fellow citizens who, to their eternal shame, inherited nothing of any monetary value from their parents. I feel privileged indeed, and now that you have put our government up for sale, I’m going shopping!

History will remember the Roberts Court as the court that destroyed American Democracy.  This is the Court’s opportunity to change such an outcome.

No entity, other than a living, breathing human being, should be afforded all of the rights of individuals as laid out in the Constitution and its amendments.  Corporations and other organizations should have only those rights that allow them to participate fully in economic markets and social interactions.  But, involvement in our governance and politics should be reserved for the people.  As President Lincoln famously said: “…government of the people, by the people, for the people…”.  This is the standard we expect the Supreme Court of the United States to adhere to when adjudicating court cases.

Does anyone remember when the Supreme Court was the absolute arbiter of truth and reason?   Now that that once august body is owned by the Republican Party the implications for the direction our country will take is terrifying!   We will soon be going in the regrettable direction as the republican governed states, such as Wisconsin, Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Indiana.  Goodbye education, unions, health care, police and fire protection.  Please God, save us from the republican party and their owners…..The oligarchs who own our country.

Our democracy cannot survive unless we get the money out of politics.  Citizens United was not the beginning, but it may have dealt a fatal blow to our republic.

After repealing Citizens perhaps the Supreme Court should hold itself to higher standards, such as avoiding the appearance of impropriety by hanging out at secret Koch events, as well as adopting the practice of recusing themselves in cases where there is a conflict of interest – in other words hold themselves at least to the same standards of the lower courts. They are really making the law look like an ass.

You must stop this foolishness NOW!!!

I am co-founder of a startup business, and was previously an officer at a Fortune 50 company for many years. I have a great deal of respect for the power of free enterprise, and also have a deep understanding of why corporations cannot be on an equal footing with natural persons when it comes to constitutional protections. Corporations are profit-making entities whose goal of maximizing profits is appropriately pursued with great vigor – and that is the reason they cannot be granted full constitutional protections. They must exist within an appropriate regulatory framework, and that framework must include restrictions on political contributions. 

Corporations are people no more than I’m a corporation. They don’t fight or die in our wars, they have no physical presence, they can’t even shake my hand or talk to me. 
They have no right to vote, nor should they be able to use their financial power to determine elections! I have lost all faith & respect for the Supreme Court. Since there is now a political arm of the Republican party with four votes I really fear for my freedom. Will the court permit and advocate for the takeover of our government by Corporations or will the do the moral, fair and honest thing and revoke this totally unconstitutional law.

Sincerely,
David C. Wood

PS: I’m a 65 year old Proud Gay American and I am afraid that this ruling and future Human Rights rulings by the court could percipitate not only unrest but more likely rioting like this country has never seen. I will join in if necessary!

citizens united, was a bad decision, that decision is selling our democracy! please protect our democracy and kill citizens united

The premise that corporations are people and money is speech is ludicrous. The harm that the Citizen’s United decision has done to our country is on par with Dred Scott. Take the only step that anyone with a clear conscience could possibly take and reverse this appalling ruling.

In the Dred Scott case the Court said people are property and in Citizens United that property is people. It’s too late for the former but you can correct your historical legacy now by overturning your decision in the latter.

As a retired public school teacher who has always valued the wisdom that our country was founded on, it is amazing to see that such a travesty of our heritage and the protections given in our wonderful Constitution has been destroyed by the Citizens United fiasco.  In the interest of our children and grandchildren, my husband and I feel we must protest and support actions to rid this destructive decision that is undermining the freedoms and the rights for public awareness that many have fought and died for.

In my lifetime, no ruling by the Supreme Court
has moved me more than that of the so called “Citizens United”.  Unfortunately it
moved me in the worst possible way. I was appalled at the apparent
indifference of my fellow citizens - I wanted to riot in the
streets! 

I am by no measure a card-carrying “liberal”
who rallies behind every liberal cause – I’d classify myself as a socially
progressive, fiscally conservative independent. 

I
resonate strongly with the views of Lawrence Lessig – that overturning Citizens
United should be a non-partisan movement. I am as strongly against unions
“buying” political favor as I am against the oil companies doing the same. It
is in the best interest of all citizens that our government represents the
people (not big money). 

Money isn’t speech.  It’s an amplifier of speech.   Free speech is illusory if one person’s amplifier goes so loud that it drowns out everyone else.   

The government is supposed to represent the people and serve their interests.   With the role money serves in our current electoral process, influence is easily bought and sold to the highest bidder, resulting in a government that serves campaign donors rather than the American people.   It’s highly unlikely that this is what the Founders envisioned when they drafted the Constitution, and it’s a fundamental problem with our system that can only be solved by allowing Congress to regulate the campaign finance process. 

Unfortunately when Justice Roberts and Alito came along, many of us knew the disasters awaiting our nation.  Their history of ruling in favor of corporations over mere citizens was already known.  But they obfuscated and lied to the Senate and unfortunately were confirmed.  Joining the already seated Thomas, the least intelligent member of the court ever approved, Scalia, the sexist and corporate tool as well, and you have a recipe for the destruction of our nation from enemies to democracy from within.   Citizens United was the obvious method to accomplish this, paricularly by addressing issues not in the original case.  The shame history will blanket this court in will never be erased from the books.  The only thing we can hope for is that the decision is reversed by the Congress with a Constitutional Amendment, or the Roberts court comes to its senses and reverses its original decision.  The shame, however, will still be there.

How sad it is to have completely lost faith in a nonpartisan United States Supreme Court.  I’m of that age when school taught us our “Supreme” Court was to be revered……  that their judgements were as close to being legally infallible as humans could get.  Then came 2000, when my belief in that nonpartisan infallibility disappeared.  With the Citizen’s United decision, my belief in the United States Supreme Court has turned to cynicism:  like everything else it seems, politics swallowed our once revered highest court & turned it into another tool for Corporate America.  

The Supreme Court decision in “Citizens United” overlooks the fact that INDIVIDUALS already are represented by our Constitution, regardless of their affiliation–or lack thereof–with a company or corporation. Giving CORPORATIONS representation as if they are entities apart and separate from the people of whom they are comprised is a corruption of the very definitions of both “person” and “corporation.” The effect of “Citizens United” has already been seen in our electoral process: those with more money can buy political influence, while those with less money cannot. This is not the America for which our ancestors–and our military forces–were, and still are, willing to fight and die. Please return our country to ALL of its citizens: Reverse your decision on “Citizens United.” Make the United States once again the beacon of individual rights, freedom, and rule that has set an example for the rest of the world.

Money in the wrong places and from the wrong sources produces an outcome that is wrong for our country.  Our men and women of congress have become professional fundraisers, and have moved their focus from serving the public to serving their need for a fundraising high, like a junkie.  Citizens United is a dealer helping to feed that high.  Let’s kick the habit…

Everyone makes mistakes.  You guys made a biggie.  Admit it, overturn “Citizens”, and let’s get on with trying to save our democracy.

My wife and I want our democracy back!  This Citizens United decision causes us to feel impotent.  We do not want our electorate to feel impotent.

There was a time when the Supreme Court stood for equality, fairness and high moral character, as determine by the very time and place in history that it found itself.  Partisan politics was supposed to be left at the door and decisions be made of the merits of that which was put before the Court.

If that were still true today, there could be no justification for the backward Citizens United decision.  There can be nothing fair and equitable about setting the standard by which our poiticians may be, and in fact are, bought and sold by moneyed special interests.

That decision is subverting the intent on which this country was born; it disregards the Constitution of these United States and all that which is fair and equitable.  It subverts the process and this our respect for a system, once strong, that has gone putrid.

Reverse the decision.  Have the courage to disregard the politicians.  Have the humanity to do what is fair and equitable.  Have the compassion to again include the downtrodden and outcast in the decision making process that will determine the paths their life may take.

Citizens United is the must undemocratic ruling one could conceive.

We have seen what money in enormous amounts from one or five individuals has done to our politics during this election cycle. It doesn’t seem like we’re 1 person, 1 vote; when a handful of people can give millions of dollars to buy a candidate or ruin another. The citizens elect people to serve us, but it seems we’re serving them. These huge ad buys could pay for a lot of things we need to help our country. We already know who’s running,, we don’t like the mud slinging, we want our vote to be from our hearts & minds, not have our hearts ripped out because of a few individuals’ beliefs. We are all citizens of this country and should be treated equally, paraticularly at the ballot box.

Corporations exist to make profits for shareholders – not to write government policy and own politicians – that is called fascism. Corporations are not interested in the common good, democracy, clean air and water, safety at work – these are all external to their drive for profits and only government regulations provides protection for citizens from the potential abuse of corporations.  When politicians have to earn millions to run for office, they have no time to do their actual work, but must constantly court interest groups and lobbyists for donations. Public campaign financing would be the true answer to the problem but would probably allow way to much ‘democracy’ to exist and be too scary for the 1%.

 Our Founding Fathers NEVER in their wildest dream would have allowed unlimited, unaccountable political donations allowed in our political system. This election system has turned into a big money system where money influences the outcome. Our system is supposed to be a 1 man 1 vote system, with everyone’s vote being equal. With all this money being spent, because of the Citizen’s United ruling, this is no longer the case. This ruling needs to be REVERSED, corporations ARE NOT PEOPLE!!

The Supreme Court erred when it put forth Citizens United, and even those who are profiting from such an intentionally misguided decision know it. The Supreme Court has allowed itself to become the private playpen of the industrialist and investment people.
This really got going with Rehnquist’s intervention into the 2000 election and Bush v. Gore; lawless behavior that the Constitution prohibits.

The whole purpose of the three separate branches of government is to insure the protection of We the People. However, due to the loading of the highest court in the land with Far Right fringe personalities, a downward spiral in ethics, integrity and honesty prevails threatening to render the whole of the judiciary as lacking any credibility whatsoever. 

To support secret money buying off influence in our government, to afford foreign money a place in our governmental processes is anathema and the Court knows this. And to give personhood to a stack of paper and ink is to render a false equivocation between corporations, a legal fiction, and human beings; a supreme insult to the American people this court purports to preside over.

There is a difference between Capitalism and Predatory Capitalism and by the Court’s actions, they have sanctioned the most predatory of business practices. The Justices are supposed to apply the law through stare decisis, not be politicians from the bench. This is fundamental and I’m sure these facts are not lost on the members of the Court.

Stop this now. Repeal Citizens United and reform the conduct of the Court before it is too late. The decision of the Supreme Court in all of this will surely lay the foundation of what will come.

The political process has become more about financing the next campaign than actually governing at the will of the people that the duly elected officials are meant to represent.  This is not a right, left, or anywhere in between issue.  This is a common sense issue.  When political decisions are influenced by the highest bidder, where does that leave our system?  How is that a system by the people, for the people?  How is it fair and just?  How then, are these elected officials supposedly representing the people who placed them in office when they are catering to the highest bidder and serving the special interests that will greatly finance their next campaign?  I beg you to reconsider this ruling.  The fact that this ruling not only allows, but encourages corporations et al to be able to finance a campaign is supremely disappointing.  Do the justices really not see the likelihood of collusion and corruption that this so easily avails itself to?  Again, I plead with the justices that a long, hard look is taken at this ruling.  I am hopeful that common sense and law can coexist peacefully.

A Supreme Court is supposed to have some sort of intelligence to be confirmed.  Maybe some of them have gone brain dead since.  Anyone in their right mind could see what would happen if business were permitted to spend unlimited funds to champion the minions who would continue to support lessening regulations and environmental laws for their benefit.  The Supremes have created a corrupted process that has shown to be out of control.  The 99% needs to recall some the justices who have legitimzed this corruption.  Corportations are NOT people and money is NOT free speech. 

Perhaps they became lost in precedent, forgetting for a moment that as the Supreme Court they are called to do equal right to both the poor and the rich. This to me is most grievously the error of the Citizens United decision. It inherently acceded greater rights to the wealthy, when it was already clear to many that they have the lion’s share.

It was such a forgone conclusion that more wealth equals more rights, that we went one step further. Wealth alone deserves more rights even if it is held by an organization of individuals.

More wealth equals more freedom of speech.
More wealth equals more rights.

Is this not the forgone conclusion upon which this decision rests?

What can the Supreme Court possibly be thinking. This is suppose to be a country of the people and for the people, not a country run by a few billionaires. We should be going in the other direction. Put a cap on what can be spent in the various campaigns. Please end citizens united now!

True Democracy is not bought and paid for by rich billionaires.  How can it be called “free speech”?  It is only “free” if you have the money to pay for it — and most of us don’t!

The Citizen’s United decision gives too much power to those with large amounts of money.  It supports government for sale in a big way.  We need to stop it.

Your Citizens United ruling effectively ended democracy in America. 

Thanks to Citizens United, all candidates are pre-selected by corporate and billionaire funding. By the time We the People get to vote, regardless of party affiliation, our choice is between two equally corrupted candidates, each owing their political life to big money. Thanks to Citizens United, We the People no longer have even the illusion of exerting any influence in our government through elections. 

Shame on you. Please reverse Citizens United NOW.

Allison

It becomes more and more obvious how the Citizens United decision has corrupted our electoral system. That corporations and rich individuals can use their moniy to influence our elections, but they do not even have to disclose theit identities. WOW what happened to government of the people, by the people, and for the people, ALL THE PEOPLE NOT JUST THE RICH. Corporations are NOT people.

Too bad Mccain doesn’t afford any respect to the treaties this country signed with Native American tribes. He {and Kyl} are the last people who should even use the word democracy.  It is just so damn easy to steal water from Indians who live in the desert and give it to the whites who build huge cities and need it more, who cares about a bunch of old Indians?  It is so much more profitable to give it to big coal and other private, ALEC run big businesses.  You should both hang your head in shame.  This is not bad enough but now you jerks are writing laws against women for WASHINGTON DC?   ALEC IS Big Brother and Mccain and Kyl are privatizing everything to support it.  BEWARE, anyone who values freedom, democracy, less big government and a vagina with no senators, congressmen and republicans inside it better keep a close eye on all these jerks—I am a woman and I certainly don’t expect MEN to make medical or birth control decisions for me.  If you men don’t want women making decisions for your prostate, testicles, anus, rectal exams, probes, vasectomies, and viagra decisions for you then STOP this crap now.  Eventually, when women are tired of dealing with this we will just DENY all prescriptions for viagra and other ED meds, then YOU won’t be making the bedroom decisions for US!!  As for republicans and catholics, you can’t have sex with us unless WE ARE FERTILE, and, menopause??  You can never have sex again lololol!!  WE WIN!!!  LOLOL

The Citizens United split decision creates a government where the wealthy support political campaigns in return for influence – essentially selling our legislators “to the highest bidder(s)”.  This leaves the Middle and Lower Income Classes absent essentially any regard for their interests in the governmental process.  The decision that money is free speech is highly activist in nature and overturns precedent without regard for the public good.  Judicial expertise is not needed to understand the corrupting result of Citizens United, and everybody – especially the rich – fully understand this.  Just as in Bush v. Gore, the Supreme Court has made a decision which is specifically for one political party – exactly that which the Court is supposed to rise above.  History will not be on the side of Justices who have forced political aims on us which undermine our democracy.  I am yours sincerely, Ralph J. Secoy.

Equating people with corporations which are defined business constructs devalues human beings and devalues the goal of our founding fathers which was to protect the individual.  Please reverse Citizen’s United for the sake of humanity and the value of human life.

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to buy our democracy. If anything, the Citizens United majority nullifies freedom of speech for those most in need of constitutional protection. Please overturn Citizens United.

Dear Justices,  Please give the majority of the people the opportunity to elect our representatives. I am tired of an electorate composed of the best money can buy. sincerely yours, Louis A. Bleier

IT IS DISGUSTING THAT BIG CORPORATIONS CAN PORE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS INTO THESE SUPER PACS HIRE LOBBYISTS TO  LOBBY ON CAPITAL HILL AND BUY CONGRESSIONAL FAVOR. THE AVERAGE PERSON HAS NO SAY WHEN UP AGAINST BIG MONEYAND ONE MORE THING IF THE TAX CUT FOR THE RICH CREATE JOBS WHERE ARE THEY? THE BUSH TAX CUTS WAS THE START OF THE PROBLEMS WE ARE HAVING TODAY

You obviously made a terrible mistake; democrats and republicans now agree. We would think more of you if you would admit it. As it stands now we have LOST ALL RESPECT FOR YOU AND YOUR POSITION. This is really sad for our country and you are squarely to blame. And you know it.

the fact that we can not trace where this money is coming from should be enough to at lest put some kind of restriction on all pac’s. we must know if campaign money is coming from an outside source. corporations are not people. but if you think they are then they should fall under the same resrictions that people do.

A few wealthy anonymous people should not determine the outcome of an election.  This is despicable and not worthy of the USA.

What were you thinking!!!!!!!!!!!

I do not understand how the Supreme Court could sell our democracy to the highest bidders.  Is it your intention to turn the United States into a 3rd world country with only the wealthy able to but our elections.  I am thoroughly disgusted with the Citizens United decision.

  Politicians, wether Republican, Democratic or Independant can no longer accept these enormous contributions, while letting the contributors remain anonymous. Corporations ARE NOT PEOPLE. Nor can we allow corporations that have controling interests outside these United States make contributions to candidates, corrupting the process in which free and fair elections is based. All campaign contributions should be accounted for. We have an ever increasing disfunctional Congress now because either side is attempting to satisfy their main contributors. 
   We must get the money out of our elections now, before we loss all that is precious and dear in this great nation.     

Your ruling in Citizens United was a distortion of the Law and is directly linked to the “Right Wing Agenda”! Citizens United has taken the power promised by the constitution out of the hands of the people and put it squarely in the hands of the moneyed elite! Your failure to protect citizens against power is a sad state of affairs and failure of the Court to do the job they were created to do! 

The ruling that is implemented by the Citizens United case is exactly what the Founding Fathers were trying to prevent. If free speech goes to those with the most money, then free speech is a sham. Corporations are not citizens, any more than they are individuals.

After all the people who have sacrificed (blood, sweet & tears)so much for This great nation do you Justices want to go down in history as the ones who squandered it all??????????

I am weary of the false equivalency perpetuated by those on the right (can’t call them conservatives; they don’t deserve the term). They state again and again that the Democratic party receives most of its funding from unions. We all know union membership is down, and union power is nowhere near what it was twenty or thirty years ago. Sure, unions could spend like Koch Brothers or Adelson or vulture capitalist Singer IF they had that kind of money. But they don’t. Citizens United must be rectified by constitutional amendment. As it stands, our democracy is for sale to the highest bidder. Corporations are NOT persons. As my favorite OWS sign said, I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.

Citizen’s United has eroded our democracy. Corporations are NOT people. Please do what is right for our country.

It is unfathomable to me that anyone could consider a corporation to be a single person.  With unlimited funds, which most of us persons DON’T have, corporations can improperly and unfairly influence the campaigns of candidates like no single person can dream of doing.  What’s more, the ability to remain anonymous and fail to disclose the source of such large funds opens the floodgates for the corruption and influence of the candidates who are “beholden” to these corporate donors.  We cannot allow this kind of corrupting influence to continue.  End it now, please.

It is time to reverse your decision on Citizens United, the sooner the better. This election cycle has sadly proved the critics of this decision more than right. We’ve seen a literal handful of multimillionaires and billionaires contribute unimaginable amounts of money to their candidate of choice, mostly anonymously. We don’t know how much money is coming from foreign donors. This has totally changed the funding of candidates and given some a serious advantage over their opponents. Money from small donors (the American people!!) has become insignificant in this tidal wave of big money. Our elections are being BOUGHT by a handful of millionaires and this is NOT DEMOCRACY! Super Pacs have been able to swamp the traditional money raising organizations. How can corporations be people when an individual can only donate a limited amount while corporations with their record profits can contribute obscene amounts of money. Hardly a comparable situation. Politicians who owe their loyalty to the big donors are NOT going to listen to their constituents, just do the bidding of their big donors, the average citizen be damned.  This is supposed to be a country of, by and for the people, NOT corporations and is NOT what our founding fathers wanted for us. Stop this corruption of our democracy!  

Your 5-4 decisions of late have been disasters but nothing can compare with this tragedy for democracy called Citizens United. We the citizens are united against this decision and will work tirelessly to tear it down. None of you should be in this kind of position for life. That too much be changed. We the people are angry and will work assiduously overturn this unimaginable decision as soon as possible.

It is incredible to believe that our very government has been taken over by people with the money to influence public opinion.  Your ruling allowing SuperPacs to form and use unlimited amounts of money to influence elections was wrong.  You have the opportunity to correct your error.  Please do so.

The supreme court has lost sight of the american people. These are the kind of decisions that cause citizens to loose respect for the courts. Regardless of their reasoning they had to know, the effect, this would have on the political process. Nothing good has come of this decision. I now believe, the courts should have their arguments and deliberations broadcast so we can better determine what their motivations are.

you have made a terrible decision that continues to hurt our democracy

It is heart breaking to know our Supreme Court has sunk so low as to allow money to corrupt our Government in this way.They should hang their heads in shame because they will go down in history with this following their name and their family’s name.

Jefferson and Hamilton worked out that we are a representative republic. We now are in a society where one man, one vote can no longer be the rule of the land, when corporations can buy so much influence that the individuals no longer count.
Please abolish Citizens United’s effect of allowing corporations to donate without full public exposure and limits on them.

This decision was a mistake.  You need to admit your mistake and reverse this decision.

This is the single most critical action that must be taken to preserve our system of government as, of the people, for the people, and by the people.  We can’t afford to let our government become a plutocracy as we sit by and watch, because the wealthy have no idea what is good for the rest of us.  When we left England, we rejected that serfdom and the feudal system that supported it.  It must not be allowed to rear its ugly head again.  Citizen’s United leaves us in a predicament where any foreign individual can buy our government without our knowledge.  No matter how you excuse it, that ain’t right.

Corporations are not citizens and they certainly are not people.

Corporations do not deserve any “Rights of Man”, they do not deserve any “Human Rights”, they do not deserve any “Political Rights”.

Corporations are only tools to be used by us and for us. We are. They are not. We are a country and government “of the People, for the People, by the People.”

The only thing they truly have is the right to sign financial contracts and what they truly must have are responsibilities and obligations.

The enemy has crossed the Rubicon, they have usurped our government and all of our rights. We all have become subjected to not even tyrants, but to inhuman soulless entities.

As captives and slaves, truly we would have better luck arguing and appealing to the humanity of Hannibal Lecter, than we would with these entities that do not have and could never have any humanity.

Who will throw these money changers out of our temple? Who will throw these armies out our republic.

We must rescind all the artificial and unjust rights of Corporations and we must enforce their true responsibilities and obligations. We must hold all Corporate Officers and Board Members accountable and liable for both the civil and criminal violations of their Corporations and they must be punished to the fullest extent of the law whatever that is, even if it means life in prison or the death penalty. If their minions do the crime they must do the time.

And all those folks that transferred and sold our God given Inalienable Rights to inhuman Corporations must be held accountable, they must be impeached and tried for the treason of selling our country and government to inhuman, international and foreign interests. Impeach the Supreme Court and take back our government “of the People, for the People, by the People.”

Corporationss are not people!  They cannot enter a voting booth as such, yet the U.S. Supreme Court decision in regard to “Citizens United” gives them undo influence in every election at the Federal level through the State level.  The degree to which” big money ” influences our political process as well as the legal system is nothing short of shameful.

I feel like the Supreme Court has taken away my vote and the votes of all ordinary people and handed them over to a few very wealthy and powerful people who will now be using their money and influence to call the shots. This was a horrible decision and needs to be reversed. I can’t believe that the justices are not embarrassed by what they have brought to the country with their decision. 

Your decision brought the end of a once proud country of humans.
And made it a conglomerate of corporations. 
I hope you are proud.
Now pick the corporate logos that are going to replace the stars in your flag.
The United Corporations of America. 
Shame on you! What did your soul cost?

IF COPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE, THEN WHY DO THEY HAVE A LOWER TAX RATE THAN OTHERS? IF CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE, THEN WHY THEY ONLY PAY FINES WHEN THEY COMMIT CRIMES, BUT OTHER FOLK GO TO PRISON?

The Citizens United is probably the greatest judicial perversion of the Constitution yet. When a corporation is arrested, tried and jailed then the claim might have a bit of validity, but even then it would be tenuous at best. The people who are employed by corporations are due all the rights and protections afforded them by the Constitution. The corporate structure itself has no objective existence. The Founding Fathers were certainly aware of this. What part of the following do you fail to understand?

“I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.” – Thomas Jefferson

I beg the court for the sake of our democracy that it reconsider its opinion in the Citizens United case.  Corporations are not people. They are not citizens. They have no voting rights. They do not deserve identical rights as living breathing citizens. They do not bear the same responsibilities of citizenship as living breathing citizens. Nor do they bear the same risks and outcomes of living breathing citizens. The court has expended the scope and breath of free speech beyond that ever envisioned by the founding fathers and embodied in our constitution. The monied interests of the few have overtaken and clouded the judgement of those who have sworn themselves faithful to the constitution and impartiality in its interpretation. Restoration of the court’s credibility requires reversal of Citizens United.   

We, the 99%, are tired of being ignored, and ripped from our rights day by day! In quoting a
famous character named Beale, every American, after reading this should be
shouting from the rooftops,

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore!” Money is shared among only those who already have it and want more leaving us (the 99%) going wanting for even the basics of living and life. Money is used to gain more power for them and less rights for US. This is not acceptable!

I believe that giving corporations personhood disenfranchised the majority of American citizens. including me. I am a disabled senior citizen, and I think I have no influence at all in selecting the presidential or congressional candidates because I have a low income. My generation (the baby boomers) is retiring and will be joining me as the disenfranchised. I can’t help but feel it is the intention of the Supreme Court to not allow us to be part of American politics. This is not democracy, and the United States of America is no longer a democratic society.

Corruption has permeated our system of government from the
beginnings of this nation. The corruption has been exacerbated by court
decisions through the years that are based on precedence. The basis for the
misguided decision in “Citizens United” that further extends human rights to
corporations can be traced to corruption in the court system in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific
Railroad, (1866).  That case was
about taxation of railroad fence lines, but justices at the time decided, either
by malfeasance or misfeasance, to grant human rights under the “equal protection clause” of the
Fourteenth Amendment to the artificial person, Southern Pacific Railroad. The Fourteenth
Amendment, enacted during reconstruction following the civil war was intended
to protect the citizenship of blacks, especially former slaves and not the “citizenship”
of corporations. It is perfectly clear and logical to most people
who can read, that the Fourteenth Amendment was written for human persons as
citizens and not artificial persons (corporations). “All
persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the
jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State
wherein they reside.”  So how
could current Justices not understand that corporations aren’t and can’t be “citizens?”
 Corporations are neither “born” nor “naturalized”
in the United States. They are created by humans as a legal entity called an
artificial person by receiving a charter from the State in which they are
organized. The current Supreme Court can reverse the precedence that has given “artificial persons”
human rights. And the current Supreme Court can also help reduce corruption
in our election process by reversing their “Citizens United” decision. But in
either case don’t hold your breath, given the politics of the court these days.
It will take more than words to reverse this nations slide toward becoming a “Banana
Republic.”

Jim Chiddix

The Citizens United decision has taken the democratic process out of our democracy. The American people have one voice and one wallet while while large coorporations have multiple voices and multiple wallets. The inequality is obvious and astounding. The Citizens United decision was a mistake and it needs to be taken down. Don’t compound it by not listening to the American people.

I live in Annapolis, MD.  There are 40,000 people and if each gave $100 to a campaign, this would be $4M and you would need 4 towns like Annapolis to equal what Sheldon Adelson give to Newt Gingrich.  That is not democracy.

What’s so disturbing in my mind is the Supreme Courts williness to go down in history as the people who destroyed Democracy

.

When Citizens United became law, it moved in exactly the opposite direction from benefitting American citizens.  There was already unacceptable influence being bought from Congress by corporate interests, and the Citizens United ruling opened the floodgates, dumping money on an already corrupt Congress.  No government employee, elected or hired, should ever be allowed under the law to accept any gift, monetary or otherwise.  Military personnel already live with such lawful constraints; why shouldn’t lawmakers?  Enforce the spirit of the Constitution and give the government back to the people.  How could you have created a system in which a political party needs to spend a billion dollars to elect a president, thus becoming indebted to the interests of corporate CEOs and the extremely wealthy?  Let’s start over and get it right this time.  

The Citizens United decision has to be ranked as one of the worst in US history.  Repeal it before it can do further damage to our democracy.  What were you thinking?

Money in the system as it is allowed today disparages and insults the intent of our Founding Fathers (and Mothers).  It is no longer a democratic republic when it is truly money and corporations that rule, and not We the People.  Shame on us.

Corporations are not people. The Constitution was written to protect people from oppression and rule by others.
 

So sad, Citizens United has taken power from the people.  What are we telling our children?  $$$$$=power? Again, so sad.

I’m nearly sixty-six years old. I grew up believing that America was the light of the world because it’s government was of, by and for the people. The rude awakening is that the people have been sold out and our long trusted Supreme Court and lawmakers are complicit. We the people must overturn their direction towards government by the billionaires! Americans don’t give up their government without a fight!

Nobody talks about who really benefits from all this unhindered money flowing through the PACs—the media companies to whom they write the checks paying for all the production and air time. At its core, it has nothing to do with freedom of speech. Money, baby. In your base, stealing your country. As a realist who was (like many of us) bottle-fed democratic ideals from birth, I know politics was always corrupt. Perhaps laws are not meant to stop behavior as much as it is to slow it down. So maybe we can’t stop the rich from buying fairness out from underneath us, but do we really need to make it so easy ? Maybe we can put a stop stick or two in front of the thieves driving down the interstate in our car and give our politicians a little room to work for us.

Money in politics takes away any representation of the people.  It seems all branches of our government have long ago been sold to the corporate, banking elite.  Money really does talk, so let’s return it to the control of we the people. 

Our forefathers who laid the perfect foundation for ethical government never intended for money and special interests to intrude upon the decisions that our elected representatives make on the behalf of American citizens!

We, the People, want corporate money out of politics!

THERE IS ONLY ONE CREATOR OF PEOPLE. IT IS NOT ANY POLITICAL ENTITY.

This election season has shown time and again that the Citizens United decision was misguguided and heavily skewed by partisan politics. The court can no longer conceed that money is “Free Speech” and will not be a factor in determing political outcomes. We must rescind this Supreme Court decision now!

The perception that Democracy is for sale today is false. We dont have a Democracy! We have an illusion of one! We haven’t had one for a long time, what we have had is a Autocratic Capitalistic Republic for over a century. The Supreme Court just upheld that position with Citizens United. Individuals have no right or voice when they are silenced by Wealthy Corporations with greed and corruption driving their success. Our politicians have sold themselves to these interests and we have seen the failure of our system come to the center of our society today. The Supreme Court is the automaton of the Presidents who have been there not representing the people best interes but the Politics of a party system that has failed it people. This is due to greed, corruption, lack of integrity and poor character on the part of the people serving this country at all levels we see daily No great society has ever been conquered, they destroy themselve from within!! Just as we are now doing. This is a good thing though! When old systems and structures are not working they collapse. We are seeing this now. Nothing evolves with out the old dieing first!! This allows us to change the failed old forms. Please continue this disintegration we need it. WE WILL BE BETTER FOR IT IN THE LONG RUN!!!!   

As a 62 year old “common” citizen and consistent voter of this United States, I stand with the many thousands who’ve commented (and the MILLIONS who agree) that our Supreme Court (and their benefactors) sold us out on this issue. This MUST stop. You are allowing a handful of very wealthy folks to attempt swaying the election process. The amount of money being spent on the election process is shameful, considering how much good it could do in other more needy arenas. Please stop this madness.
G. R. Haskell
Titusville, Florida  

Let’s get representation based on decisions for the best interests of the people,not for legalized bribery!

The worst consequence of the “Citizens United” ruling, and it’s very bad indeed, is the distorted way corporations BY LAW must use their political influence.  Because state laws of incorporation are a contract between entrepreneurs and investors that the management of the corporation must use the resources of the corporation to maximize its profitability for the investors–not to redecorate the homes of its executives or to protect the viability of the environment or the economic well-being of the community or the country it is in, unless it can PROVE doing so increases profits (which is a practical impossibility)–in exchange for limited financial liability for their actions, what they can advocate with their political influence disregards most of what the vast majority of citizens considers our country’s main goals.  Most of the commenters to this document are not blind haters of corporations, capitalism, or the rich.  They generally do not want to throw the baby, the whole idea of incorporation, out with the bathwater, extreme political influence by the very narrow concept of what is desirable which corporations are permitted to advocate.

While they may not know why, what people like the commenters here know from long experience is that corporate political influence usually works against the values proclaimed by the Declaration of Independence of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and which the founders tried to advance with the design of our government.  Clearly, human life depends on more than a short term cash inflow to those w/ the means to invest in corporations, even for those investors, and more obviously for the rest of us.  For starters, the air and water can’t be poisonous, and one’s home can’t fall on top of one as a consequence of “fracking”, or be taken by banks who had made fraudulent promises of affordability.  Commercial speech can’t be used to address any of these deadly wrongs.  The liberty to share, on the public stage, one’s political ideas about what measures would be for the country’s “common good”, can’t be drowned out by the monopolization of that stage by commercial speech.  Citizens’ ability to petition their gov’t for redress of grievances can’t be denied because office-holders are dependent upon the favor of the management of mega-corporations in its proscribed corporate role, and the politicians daren’t listen to conflicting positions.  Finally, it is impossible to pursue happiness while suffering and ill due to insufficient access to healthcare, an inequity which, for financial reasons, corporate commercial “speech” can’t help resolve.

The aggregated result of allowing the financial might of mega-corporations to advance commercial speech in politics to the point of drowning out the voices of even the most knowledgeable, patiotic and altruistic human citizens, is not only unconstitutional, it is against the spirit and practice of democratic republicanism.  It has led, instead, to a horrific type of plutocracy in which human well-being is subsumed to some abstract accumulation of “wealth” for the few who will quickly find that it cannot create well-being in world that is self-destructing.

It is one thing to hold to the letter of the law.  It is quite another to completely ignore and disregard common sense and fair play.  Money is NOT speech and corporations are NOT people. As Admiral Isoroku Yamamota so eloquently and prophetically said ”I Fear All We Have Done is Awaken a Sleeping Giant and Fill Him with a Terrible Resolve!”  The (not so) Supreme Court has wronged our country and it is our duty to show the resolve and determination our fathers, mothers, and/or grandparents showed to defeat our enemies in WWII.

If money is the same as free speech, why can’t each citizen be paid directly in money (rather than having to listen to all those boring words) to influence whom they should vote for?

The democratic processes that we value and are a model for the rest of the world are being subverted and corrupted by allowing unlimited and unregulated monies to influence the political process.  The recent court decision has legalized bribery and turned our politicians from the lowliest to the president into schills for big business and the wall street investment banks and their allies.

The Supreme Court is clearly too isolated from the real world when they do things like Citizen’s United. They are either corrupt as anyone else in DC or too stupid to even reflect on how they changes they allow can jeopardize the country.

Corporations are NOT people.  Hey, RATS (Roberts, Alito, Thomas, Scalia) leave your ideologies at the courthouse door.

It is beyond time to step back and admit that we lost our focus on the citizens of this country somewhere along the way. I implore you to realize this and work to let the people of this country make the decisions again instead of just the ones with money and power.

Even though I’m making regular, grassroots level contributions to the President’s campaign, I have never felt so alienated and out of the loop in my life.  I know it’s important for the little people to contribute, but I wonder – no, I’m sure — about how much difference it really makes. 

The Citizens United decision is terrible for our country.  It allows a few mega-rich individuals and corporations to anonymously dominate the election process.  We don’t even know who is paying – that is not the American Way.  Americans believe in fair play and open discourse, not secret opulent rooms where the fat cats decide everything.  A corporation has no conscience and it’s only goal is to maximize profit – this is not what elections are for.

I am an 88 year old WW2 Vet and every since the Kennedys were  killed, I have watched my country slowly go down the drain because of big buisness and money influence.

Our current system allows votes to be “bought” by large corporations and super Pacs making large donations to members of congress for funding of their re-election.  This then promotes the members of congress to actively support the specific needs of the donors in the hopes of getting more donations.  This system completely overwhelms the individual votes of small donors and really puts our system “up for sale”.  I strongly support single terms for all members of congress as well as for the President.

Citizens  United is possibly the most poisonous ever made by the Supreme Court, right up there with Dred Scott. It has made the dollar the most important factor in who can run for office and who holds office, whereas ability, courage, integrity and commitment to country should be foremost. Now that we can all see the consequences of this horrible decision, please reverse it so that we can have elections which make sense and begin to solve the enormous problems crippling America.

I have am a naturalized American, and when I realized how dysfunctional the American political system is, I spoke frequently about my concerns that America is no longer a democracy. Citizens United has demonstrated that loud and clear, and now the majority of Americans appreciate what I have been saying for years. Power over our laws and policy needs to be returned to the voting booth, and taken away from powerful corporate interest who have bought and influenced politicians for far too long.

In the US speech is not free if you can’t afford it. Corporations don’t breathe, can’t bleed, are never sent to prison, don’t have children, they don’t die. They shouldn’t have the rights of living, flesh and blood humans. Extend privileges to them, bestowed by the People. Don’t give them rights. Rights are for living humans not inanimate corporations. The way things are set up now, shareholders of corporations have two votes, their individual votes and their corporate votes and even those are controlled by the majority owners. This nation is supposed to be a “one human, one vote” nation. The Fourteenth Amendment has been abused since 1886. It’s way past time to fix that. Congress needs to pass a 28th Amendment telling the SCOTUS and their corporate handlers that only humans are persons and money is not speech.

How can it possibly be “We The People” when the billionaires, big corporations, & unions spend so heavily to influence opinions and outcomes.  Whoever came up with the system of BIG Boy spending ought to step back and realize and see the damage.  What chance does “We The People” have or ever have without leveling the playing field and giving us a “FREEDOM.”
Sam Sabean – Eden Prairie, MN   

When we can hang corporations until they are DEAD, for the crimes they commit against society …then and only then are they “People”…until then Corporations are owned by stockholders…they are the people and have one vote each and an individual voice…that equals mine…retun some snaity to our Republic. The Court has erred in the past and has and can correct earlier errors in judgement.
 It would be nice to see a SCOTUS be above politics…the point of life time appointments.

This ruling was appauling.  You took the power of the common voter and placed it in the hands of corporate America and a quite possibly into a few hands of the very wealthy.  I sincerely request you reverse this decision.

Every Supreme Court Justice who voted for “Citizens United” ruling should be impeached and/or removed from the bench… including Roberts.  Its hard for the common folk to understand why Justices on the Supreme court would support or argue for a ruling that clearly defies common sense…. and should be considered an act of treason against their country… as the court has clearly done.

“Corporations are not people”…

Wake up America…..  

Remove them from the bench….     

The court needs to reverse Citizens United and restore the right of actual human beings to make their voices heard and contribute to the public debate without being drown out by the vast wealth of imprsonal institutions. 

If Citizens United is not overturned there really will be no need for future elections.  We can just auction off our country to the highest bidder. 

Citizens United is an absolute shame.After 100 years what were they even doing looking into this.A corporation is not the same as an individual voice and no politician should even be allowed to talk to a lobbyist.They should be proud to be an elected politician not someone who is bought and paid for by anyone or any corporation.Another thing that should be stopped is falsehoods and downright lies in these ads.This Supreme Court and Citizens United just makes middle class America sick.Our current political system is at an all time low as the entire right wing is bought and paid for and Citizens United is just icing on the cake.This Supreme Court should be ashamed of themselves as they also gave us George Bush even though he lost in 2000 and look how that turned out.Citizens United is a crime and it should be overturned immediately.

The U.S. Supreme Court has always been the final place to guarantee democracy (the will of the people), as well as the preservation of the rights of the monorities from the encroachment of the powerful. It is supposed to be non-partisan. It is supposed to be the protector of individual’s rights. It is supposed to uphold the constitutional rights of HUMANS above all else. Corporations are not humans. They are not people. They are not citizens (they can’t even vote). They are fictitious entities created by law for especific purposes. To claim that corporations are people is an aberration of the wildest imagination. To allow corporations to influence the democratic political processes is a destruction of the basic democratic principle: one person, one vote. When the Supreme Court decided that corporations were people, it abdicated its fundamental function: the protection of the rights of real flesh and blood people, especially of those people who do not posess the magaphones of “free speech” that money can buy.

Dear Supreme Court Justices:
I am truly non-partisan.  I vote for about as many Republicans as Democrats.  I believe that the Citizens United decision has opened the floodgates to big money from both parties.  And, it has guaranteed that politicians will only be answerable to big money and not to the people they represent.  We have seen in the just completed Republican primary how an individual billionaire could literally buy the outcome of an election.  No longer are we one man/woman – one vote.  Instead, we are ONE RICH MAN/WOMAN/CORPORATION – BUYING ALL OF THE VOTES.  The Supreme Court Citizens United decision must be dialed back.

Why did the Supreme Court make this decision?  Were they thinking of the
results, of the unfairness it would create in our elections? Aren’t the
American People and not big money supposed to be election our
Presidents? Why wasn’t this done before during any other election? Now
that we have a black President in the White House, it seems that there
is some racism involved!! I hope not, but it certainly looks this way! 
If not, it is showing partiality towards the Republicans like when the
Supreme Court decided in the Gore-Bush Election that Bush has the most
votes!!  I am not happy with what is going on in our country, especially
with the Decisions of The Supreme Court. We are supposed to believe in
them and trust them. I , along with many others no longer do!! 

The little guy’s voice is now drowned out by all the money.  How can the court possibly come to the conclusion that the founders would have been for Citizen’s United?  It is the out right “buying” of our political process by the uber wealthy.

Our founding fathers were brilliant statesmen and creators.  They must be spinning in their graves at this Citizens United decision.  Not one of them held an open hand behind them waiting for $$ to be piled into it by greedy corporations willing to destroy the United States of America.  Do you, who voted for Citizens United, want to be remembered as those who destroyed this United States?    

Justice Roberts,  I recall you calling our President a “liar” at the State of the Union address….he wasn’t was he???!!!! Sir as you have such a Royal position in this country, as we cannot vote you out, we cannot do anything to remove you from the courts, and you and the other right wing justices have a responcibility to the peoples of this country..not to the super packs..the richest of the rich…you single handedly have taken our freedom to vote away…now because of your despicible rulings the power is not with the real working people in this country….it is with the MONEY….vile…shame!!!…now you want to take away our rights to fair health care…what else do you want from us?? because we have very little to hope for…Because of our protectors. The Supreme court has been sold to Karl Rove…and all the super packs….Supreme dictatorship!

It should be the  People voting our representatives in office.

I feel that the Supreme Court set a terrible precedent in Citizens United by overturning over a century of caselaw that put an essential limit on corporate spending and influence in our democracy. This decision opened up a Pandora’s Box of negative consequences that will devastating consequences on our democracy as demonstrated by the inundation of SuperPacs unduly influencing our elections. Now, more than ever, our politicians are more beholden to special interests than ever before threatening the trust between politicians and the people. I urge the Court to see the error of its way and overturn the terrible decision of Citizens United. 

It should be illegal to both be a politician and know whom has donated to you and for donors to inform politicians that they have donated to them.  It is very difficult to bribe someone when they have no idea where the money came from.  Furthermore only people (not entities) should be allowed to donate money.  Entities such as corporations and unions are composed of people therefore if those people wish to contribute they are free to do so indiviually. Lastly, money should be limited to a reasonable amount which is attainable by even citizens of the lowest means. If money is speech regular people will never be heard.  If the majority of people in the country feel that thier voice is not being heard then there is left only one course of action.  The will eventually be heard! 

Money corrupts.  Political money corrupts absolutely!

If Montana wins then there is no stopping the rest of us!

Everyone knows that money buys influence.
we cannot have this type of system so embedded in this country.
We are on a very slippery slop, that seems to be unstoppable.
We will be a Banana Republic in no time if this does not stop.
And only the very wealthy will have rights that were suppose to be available to everyone in this great country.
It is not only wrong but disgusting that we are at a point where we’re even talking about this.
so keep money out of politics, and let’s limit the time that politicians can campaign from 4 yrs or 6 yrs whatever the office is.
To just 2 months, that would keep alot of the money out!!!

It is antithetical to the concept of democracy that it be bought and sold. Get money OUT of politics instead of facilitating its continuing incursion.

Ignoring legal precedents that date back to 1907 is anything but deliberate and respectful of the law.  But beyond that, the nature of this decision is so poisonous and so antithetical to the values of the republic that it is hard to believe.  Once money becomes free speech in all cases, and corporations have all the rights of individuals, our country is finally and unambiguously bought and sold.  We know that 92% of all elections are won by those who spend the most money, so what what fate is the Supreme Court imagining they are creating for the country?  Though supposedly impartial, the court has frequently been on what has proven to be the wrong side of major questions facing our society, so in some ways this current situation is not surprising.  Slavery, child labor, unionizing–the court has opted to side with the most powerful moneyed interests, at least initially.  I am going to be optimistic and believe that eventually the court will get this right.  With luck it will happen before the democratic character of the country is a smoking ruin.

I am truely tired of “the best congress money can buy.”

I work hard everyday, we are falling further and further behind.  We can’t afford healthcare, dental or vision while working low-paying service jobs.  Vacation, discretionary spending, retirement, not on the radar.  It’s all we can do to keep our phone and put economical (non-nutritional) food on the table. 
We have college debt, transportation is difficult, utilities are a growing strain.  Raising a child in this challenging environment just would not be prudent. 
We are very much aware that our situation is becoming the new norm.  We all should NOT stand for the grotesque inequality in today’s America.  A broad swath of the population no longer has a voice.  The plutocratic elite and narrowing middle class are on the political/media agenda.  The working impoverished do not warrant thought, in fact it’s best if we’re not recognized. 
Those with the deepest of pockets ever manipulating ($$$) a system in their narrow behalf (often corrupt) might be forced to see things as they are or heaven forbid, introspection.
We’ll do our best to keep a good attitude but the moral arch of America is inverting with the help of 9 servile, unelected ideologues in black robes.

It is unfortunate that your ruling is destroying our democracy. When a single millionaire or billionaire from this country, as well as foreign countries, can buy our presidential election, we can no longer call the United States of America a democracy. We must look ridiculous in the eyes of the world. We say we are a country “of the people, by the people and for the people.” This is no longer true. Reverse your decision and give the country back to all of the people — not to just of few of the wealthiest.  

Before this decision we knew that it would be bad for our democracy, now that it is in effect we have ‘negative’ proof that it was the worst decision for this country, a corporation which has extraordinary wealth compared to the average citizen can use untold amount of money from domestic or foreign corporation annoynomously!!! Talk about a Manchurian Candidate effect, wow!! 

“Unless you become more
watchful in your states and check the spirit of monopoly and thirst for
exclusive privileges you will in the end find that…the control over your
dearest interests has passed into the hands of these corporations.”  President Andrew Jackson

The judges that voted for Citizens United should hang their heads in shame. Look at the monster you have created!!

Reverse Citizens United !  Politics and our government need to be FREE of Corporate Money’s Influence.

To me the problem is not just about Citizens United, but about how badly the Supreme Court has tarnished its own reputation. For the first time in my life, I feel that the Court is bought and paid for, that it has failed to hold itself up to a higher standard.  My children, who are well-informed recent college graduates, feel a cynicism towards the Court that is new to me.  Clarence Thomas should recuse himself from the health care ruling in light of his own comments and his wife’s activities, but beyond that, Justice Roberts should look inward, and also towards history, and ask himself whether the damage he and his Court have done to the Court’s standing can be undone.

If you believe what you did in Citizen’s United is in the best interest of our Democracy God Help You, because big business interests don’t follow this principle. Big busines is only interested in how to improve their short term profits, so the top folks can get the next promotion. They would destroy the environment to accomplish this if needed. If it matters I’m a registered independant.

Freedom of Speech, yes, but freedom to spend unlimited sums to skew our democratic process and remain anonymous, no. Only a naive fool could think that PAC money doesn’t influence elected officials decisions.Buying decisions favorable to one’s economic class, corporation, union, etc. is not the way our democracy is supposed to work and definitely not what the framers of our constitution had in mind. Is this Lincoln’s country “…of the people, by the people and for the people…” or do you want to create a country of the people, by the people and for the rich?

We the People now have the best Supreme Court money can buy. Congratulations to the One percent, you not only own congress but now have a Supreme Court to go along with it. Great job!

To The United States Supreme Court:  Please consider this decision carefully and with fairness!  The future of Our Glorious Country depends on it! 

Citizens United represents Liberty And Justice for the Rich and Powerful-shame on the members of the Supreme Court who voted for this.

As a Senior voter, I am deeply distraught at the conclusion I’ve now drawn that my election ballot no longer counts a whit.  My friends and I are old enough to have seen, experienced and learned a lot in our lifetimes– and what I continually hear among my cohorts is the comment “I am so glad my parents did not live to see this day in our Democracy.” 
What is happening is appalling — unthinkable, really! Who could have believed that Corporations would be permitted to wield such power over The People. Sadly, the lessons of history are being repeated on so many fronts in our world today. Our ancestors and our Founding Fathers understood that in all things there must be moderation–and to that end they put in place  checks and balances that would preserve our Democracy and guide America safely into the future. And that principle worked for many many years. 
I believe, without question, that our Founders intended for one living breathing flesh and blood person to equal one vote, and over the years our citizens have fought and died, and continue to do so, for that right. Now money is buying our elections.
Please, using what you now know is happening, revisit the Citizens United decision and find a way to mitigate the problem before all of our elections are auctioned off to the highest bidder.  Caroline Ellis

many years ago I read a fantasy where governments had disappeared and the world was run by corporations.  If I remember correctly pepsi cola had an army.  I thought it was a fantasy but unless something happens to change things government as we know it will disappear.  how nauseating it is to see played out every day the role that money plays in our democracy.  it’s up now for control by the highest bidder.  Your ruling that corporations are people has backfired and you need to revisit that ruling and change it.  there should be a level playing field for candidates that’s based on their beliefs, not their bankroll

I am 54 years old. I have always thought of the supreme court as a non partisan institution, until 2000 when you annointed GW Bush as president over states rights to decide themselves. Now with Citizens United, you once again show your political leanings.

Things have progressed backwards ever since then, culminating with this terrible (Citizens United) ruling that corporations have the right to influence elections. Add to this, allowing filty rich individuals to effect elections in states they do not live in and in unlimited amounts, is the greatest threat to democracy this country has ever seen.

You are supposed to be the defender of the constitution and instead you have done it and this country the greatest injustice we have ever seen. SHAME ON YOU! 

CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PEOPLE!

Mark

The absurdity of the name Citizens United is fraud in itself.A more appropriate name would be Citizens Excluded.

It has been sickening to have the major networks constantly update the amount of money being spent on campaigns, in this economy particularly, with so many people struggling to find well paying work, and being unable to move to where jobs are because of lack of funds to do so.  Turns my stomach, how about you?

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely. Corporations ARE
NOT PEOPLE! They are corporations that are in business solely to make money,
whatever way they can.  They do what they
have to do to get more of it in their pockets, even bribery and manipulation of our political
figures. With all of these millions and billions they are spending in the
political process, they could feed the world, pay off everyone’s medical bills,
and pay off the student loan debt, go a long way to bring down the National
Debt, save everyone’s houses from foreclosure. But, they are greedy and selfish
and want more money than they could ever spend in a lifetime while the poor get
poorer, and sicker, and further in debt while corporations hide behind their
“Religious Right” attitude. I’m not seeing America as a proud United
Country. We are now a Nation Divided. That’s not what the Founding Fathers envisioned
for ALL of us. United We Stand, Divided we WILL fall. Corporate money has to be
taken out of our Political Process once and for all, never to darken our
doorstep again.  Consider it a failed experiment
and let’s move on.

Corporations are no more “persons” with 1st amendment rights, than my non-existent parakeet. How the Supreme Court used
twisted logic to overturn decades and decades of stare decisis is a travesty that must be corrected. If it’s not, our Country will be a
democracy in name only.

you should be ashamed of yourselves for such a ruling. undo it and save face and the country as we knew it.

Let all just admit it was the worst, biggest mistakes the court ever made.
We have worked throught so many problems and we will work this one out too.

Common sense should tell a person they don’t need 30 million dollars to win an election. We the people should elect politicians to office not we the people with money. It is plain wrong that super pacs and groups should be able to spend that much money to elect their people to office.

I am a %100 disabled military veteran.  I took an oath to uphold the Constitution.  It’s a shame our supreme court made a mockery of it with the Citizens United(and a few others) decision.  I used to think the Supreme court was our last bastion of sanity against politiciansl. No longer. Y’all can go suck eggs!

The baptism of corporations as citizens reminds me of the company store where corporations deliberately kept people broke and indebted. Now, stealing peoples labor, votes, rights, or whatever is being endorsed by a supreme court that is dedicated to its people?  How can that be?  It has made everyone I know angry and disgusted with the current system of government when it is the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

Due to “Citizens United”, for the first time ever it has become apparent that when someone says to me that “i don’t vote because my vote doesn’t really matter”, there is validity in this traditionally absurd statement that was once based in laziness. This statement is no longer absurd and it makes me ashamed to be an American when the People feel their voices do not matter and due to “Citizens United” its not because of voter laziness, its because of voter POWERLESSNESS. “Citizens United” must go. Please, draw a hard line of what is right and what is wrong.

Sadly, the U.S. Supreme Court has so badly interpreted our Constitution that they have effectively taken away something I’ve treasured as a U.S. citizen for all my life, (75 yrs) and that’s my ability to vote and speak up for those I support. But now I realize that I have no chance to be heard anymore.  my voice is completely drowned out by the hundreds of millions of dollars that are being spent by huge corporations  and extremely wealthy individuals to influence the government for their own greedy and selfish desires.i find myself with tears in my eyes every time I think about it, but there is really no reason for me to even vote anymore.  I guess that’s exactly what the Court hoped would happen. Most of us played by the rules.  They didn’t.  They won.  Democracy is lost.

WE THE PEOPLE. HA. It should be amended to read “We the corporations and billionaires”  Oh I’m sorry you have already decided that corporations are people!!!  This, as we used to say in the military, is BS.  Please stop corporations and billionaires from buying our politicians and laws!!!!!

Bravo to McCain and Whitehouse!!! Crossing party lines in order to take a courageous stand against money buying political favor.  How absurb  in the land of the free and the home of the brave, freedom that McCain knows too well comes at a great price – freedom is not  free but it cannot and should not be bought with money.  The Supreme Court made a grievous mistake when it allowed Citizens United to influence its decision.  One only has to look at the millions upon millions of dollars spent by big money in this year’s election even in the face of talks of cuts and more cuts to many who are out of work and out of hope.  The Court would do well to listen to the voice of the people.  The Court and the Congress have no honor. 

Money out!  Honest men and women in!

With this ruling, Democracy began to disappear as a few very rich people can influence so many with, at times, too many times, lies paid for and run as adds. I have only one vote. How is this fair? I hate the corruption as much as I love my country. I am so disappointed in the supreme court. it has become less than meaningless.  It has become subverted. How can they live with themselves?

There was a time when judges valued credibility and tried to make decisions that would be well reasoned, and stand the test of time. They would not have liked to have their names attached to any ruling that is poorly reasoned, has the smell of corruption, or obviously violates the United States Constitution. This was especially true of the United States Supreme Court, the highest court in this nation. Although they are appointed for life, and can not be over ruled, they still cared what legal historians would say about them long after they are gone. It is in your hands to reverse recent rulings such as “Citizens United”, or to let them stand as your legacy, and a monument to you. How do you want to be remembered?

Your Honors, I hope you can see the damage that big money is doing to our election process. It would be better to remove money completely instead of opening the doors to allowing a few rich people to have so much say in our elections – it is destroying our democracy. As well as destroying the idea of one vote one person,bBig money often sends out lies and misinformation to the public. Just when we need to be really smart to make decisions, we dumb down because of the power of money. Please reverse that terrible decision!

Marcia Hollis  It is very sad to see our country being ruined by greed.  The average person could never run for any office because they could not afford it.  Please overturn this ruling, it is destroying our democracy.

Stop letting the wealthy purchase politicians who they
know will do their bidding when they are voted into office. We all know it
happens but to blatantly allow it to be thrown in our faces is a shame on the
beliefs that the Supreme Court will do the right thing.

I’m over 80, have voted in every presidential election since I became 21.  I think overturning of this law was the most irresponsible  thing the US Supreme Court has ever done.   This act, has upset the whole process.    WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??

Justices Roberts, Alito, Scalia, Thomas and Kennedy, you stand to be written into history as the men that ushered in the new “United States of Corporate America” and its new 21st century theme of “government of the people, by the wealthy and for the corporations.” President Obama was right to expose you during his first State of The Union Address and this, Citizens United, your most un-American endeavor .

Your Honors, if you believe that ”corporations are people,” why then did you not limit them to ONE vote each…. like all other Americans? Instead you empowered them with the right to “purchase” millions of “misinformed” votes with only their own financial self-interest, not the country’s, in mind. In light of your ruling, it seems oh so ironic that today in the State of Florida, a teacher can be fined, jailed or both for the “unforgivable crime” of registering students to vote. Sirs, is such voter suppression constitutionally acceptable to you? Further, if you truly believe that “money is speech,” many of us are left to conclude that, to you, the poor are but an irrelevant and ”voiceless” mass of pathetics. These, Gentlemen, are NOT the cannons upon which America was founded.

Because power not tempered by wisdom and compassion defines TYRRANY, I feel respectfully compelled to remind you that THE TYRRANT fights ALL so as to “appear” to be right, and yet THE LEADER fights FOR ALL and for all that is right. Be LEADERS, America beseeches you, and not just the “judicial prostitutes” of knaves. Where such rulings are concerned, Bush vs. Gore was quite enough… or are we poised for yet another SCOTUS-sponsord coup d’etat in 2012? 

America, Democracy, the world and your robes deserve better.

There is absolutely no rational process by which a corporation can be equated to an individual human being. You can’t really be that stupid, and if you read these comments you’ll realize that not all Americans are stupid enough to buy it, either. We don’t all just accept what the corporate-controlled media feed us. Some of us actually research issues and form our own positions based on known facts. With the Citizens United decision you’ve made us irrelevant–our votes are overwhelmed by the voice of big business and its agenda. Our government should serve the needs of individuals, not cater to the greed of the one percent.

Money is entitled to speech?    If that is so SCOTUS wouln’t that mean that more money means more speech. Billionaires could speak from now until those proverbial cows arrive. What about the rest of us?

Individual voters are at a terrible disadvantage compared to the huge amounts of money thrown into campaigns, both at the local, state and federal level. It doesn’t make a lick of sense that in Wisconsin the recall election draws contributions of 25 to 1. And most of the money comes from out of the state, get real! “Freedom of Speech” has sure been carried to the ridiculous extreme.
Many things are wrong with Citizens United and it needs to be repealed as soon as possible before it completely erodes our democratic process.
Janet – Lakewood, CO

This is a government by the people for the people not a government by the big businesses and the money people nor the super PAC. If I would pay to get people to vote my way it would be bribery and I would go to jail for it.  So why should the money people and the super PAC have the right to bribe our congress and to bribe the public officials to get their way.  It is hard for us senors and the elderly to be able to get the meds that they need and to buy  the food that they need to survive and to enjoy some of our golden years.  We paid into social security for years to be able to enjoy some of our final years and yet the money people want to take it away from us.  Congress calls this an entitlement but we paid into it for all our working years.  Do they pay into theirs.  They should look at their entitlements and give us a break and give up some of their entitlements.  Business and the Super PAC
should not be able to buy the government.  I am asking the Supreme court to reverse CITIZENS UNITED right away.  If this goes on to long we will our United States and we will become a third world country. I feel sorry for the younger generation because they will not be able to see the real reason that the USA was founded in the first place.

I immigrated to the wonderful USA because I believed in the freedom and democracy it promised.
It truly angers me that corporate money and special interest lobbying now wholly defines the direction of the legislature.
Get the money out!

When CORPORATIONS can be JAILED as any PERSON who COMMITS A CRIME can be JAILED then a Corporation can be considered a person.
Until then A CORPORATION IS NOT A PERSON.
Has anyone gone to jail due to the FRAUD COMMITTED in the recent financial crisis? (OK not so recent. About 4 years ago.)
If the Citizans United ruling continues our Democracy is doomed.

 The ignoble Supreme’s whom rule for the benefit of their overlords should never prosper so much that they lack the time to
manage the nation’s wealth, as they are too busy counting up their own. Guess there remains no ruggedness, like that of privilege.

I believe this ruling has led to the increase in inflammatory political ads.  I want big money out of politics and the ability for politicians to hear the voice of the electorate.

If we can’t get the money out of politics, “honest politician” becomes just another oximoron!

I think it is very important that each person has the right of free speech, individually, not as a group,union, company, corporation,etc.  I was born and raised in Montana,  I believe Montanans are very practical, polite, and very careful to not infringe into other people’s business.  I think they have it right, again.  Corporations should not have the right to sway elections by the use of their huge financial advantage.  Money should be taken out of politics.  The press, broadcasters,internet providers, should provide time and space for political views to be seen.  We need very short campaigns, with NO advertising.

Please find yourself a conscience and DO THE RIGHT THING. Stop selling yourselves to the highest bidder so that you may live in the lap of luxury while others have nothing. How rich do you have to be? Please reverse this ridiculously insane ruling which obviously was bought and paid for and let us all have a fair chance at the “American Dream” and not have to learn how to steal it like you did Mr. Thomas, Mr. Scalia and the rest of you crooked so called “justices who regularly attend “functions” put on by big business to sway your decisions and make you wealthy. You`re never gonna change and I know that this is a BIG waste of time so to you I say “Kiss my ass”, hurry up and expire.

Citizens United does not speak for me or for my family.  The fact that donors can remain hidden is a frightening prospect. 

Dear Supreme Court Justices,
If you truly think corporations are people too, then I have two things to say.  Tax them as individuals and/or please retire.  No offense with the retirement thing, but you’re obviously senile and need to retire.

  Where i come from we used said, Fish rotten head done, if you think about that goes a long way and now includes not only most POLITICIANS & CAPITALISTS,SUPREME COURT also.

I believe my point of view is every bit as important as Exxon’s, but their money does kind of nose me out. The idea of a corporation being a person was NOT a Supreme Court decision way back there – it was added as an afterthought to an actual decision. You should not be basing your decisions on a mistake.

To the Supreme Court justices that passed Citizens United I say to you; If i were an enemy of the United States, I would be rejoicing at how you have helped me bring America to its knees. With one ruling you have done more to end democracy and to destroy this country than all past enemies have ever been able to do. Aren’t you proud of yourselves?

Money is overwhelming the voices of the people, the people that our Constitution was written for. Corporations are NOT people, they are artificial entities, who now have the ability to drown out my voice and the voices of ordinary American citizens who don’t have the money to get our representatives attention. Is this the country we want? Of the rich, for the rich, by the rich and to hell with everyone else? Please reverse the corporate contribution decision; it’s not what our Founders had in mind, it’s not what we the people have in mind. Thank you for restoring our great nation.

I know in my heart that my father, my uncles and all my family that fought in WWII would be rolling in their graves at this decision.  When corporations become people we are all doomed.  Next thing you know it will be “vote for Walmart for President”.

Because of all this money in our politics we the average people no longer have say in how we think our government or country should be governed, we have no lobbyist to represent us like the rich and and powerful do. They are the ones that influence these corrupt politicians and no one listens to us the average citizens anymore. Look at what they did to us four years ago, they single ruined our economy and who suffers us. We can not continue to have people influencing who our President will be and the decisions that will be made and we have no idea who they are. For all I know they could be an outside government who don’t have our best interest in hand and we would not know.

Citizens United guaranteed that politicians would be purchased.  There is no democracy when “of the people, by the people, for the people” means corporations.  But then, I suppose that is what the Roberts court wanted. 

Corporations are legal constructs not people.You have granted them un warranted status far beyond reason or what their originators intended. Think about it and you will see this selfevident truth!

Our political process should not and cannot be a privilege only for those with wealth.  Unfortunately, today it is impossible for the average man or woman to run for public office in this country without having the backing from and catering to those with great wealth.  This situation threatens to derail our democracy.  Let’s put our government back in the control of all of the people, not just the people with money.  Please don’t allow our votes to be bought by faceless PACs and corporations.   

I served this country to protect the people, who have and own businesses, but the business is not a person. It has no breath and blood; it has no rights in priority. It has no place in deciding to influence the government or judicial branches, but it does. It has bought the representation away from the people it was designed to protect. Now, it is time to end the mistake. No media should interfere with how a campaign is presented by biased reporting or air time. No business should be able to make any form of contribution to a political or judicial campaign. No foreign interest can influence elections by investing in companies and using that status to manipulate the political or judicial process. No religious institutes can vie for recognition as an entity and claim they require freedoms meant for individuals only. The corporations are not being sent to jail for criminal acts that put this country in dire debt, but they can come up with all kinds of money and want to vote like a person. Even religions don’t want to pay taxes, but can spend tons of money to buy a Senator or Presidential Candidate. Really? Get them out of our individual human rights and end this monopoly monstrosity.

I hang my head in shame at the US Supreme Court, once a reverred institution.  I haven’t forgotten how Roberts and some of his crony justices reacted at a deserved comment Pres. Obama made during a speech in the US Congress.  I still look for people’s opinion as to whether our justices accept lobby money and cannot find any who state they do not believe you do.  You declared corporations are people.  I have yet to see a corporation fit into a voting booth.

This mistake threatens our core.  One can foresee a country run by anyone or any group with enough money to bend public opinion.  This is a serious threat in a world so easily swayed by the amoral marketing industry.  

Please get the money out of politics.  It is anti-democractic to buy politicians and elections.

.

The Court’s 5-4 decision in Citizens United has put our democracy up for sale to the highest bidder…….clearly not the intention of the founders that they would have us believe they so respect.  Quite literally, he–or it as the case may be–with the most dollars can buy the greatest influence on the outcome of elections.  Those elected as a consequence of this new ruling have little or no allegiance to “all of the people.”  The harm that is being done to our democracy is tragic and will often be irrevocable.  It is astonishing that a majority of our current Supreme Court has decided that they have greater wisdom than all justices before them. Apparently that misperception allowed them to elevate corporations and unions by granting political speech rights equal to that of individuals under the Frist Amendment. They found no compelling government interest for prohibiting this!  Look again!  This will pre-determine the very outcome of elections.  Remember the days of yesteryear when the law of the land was “one person, one vote”?  Please do not stand idly by and watch the destruction of our democracy.  Reverse your Citizens United ruling!

Democracy has been hijacked and subverted. Campaign Reform NOW!   We need Citizens United challenged and reversed.

This is the only way we are going to get back to the business of doing what is best for the majority of the country.  As long as elected officials are only concerned with keeping their seats and stuffing their pockets, the rest of us don’t have a chance.

This is not the land of the koch bros. and foster freeze!  This is the land of the little people.  When the few have control of the Many, democracy is gone.

Who in the hell or what crooked mind said that corporation is free speech? Whoever said in their backward mind should be fired or should not be elected.  If the supreme court can’t hear this or understand they too should be fired or we will have the current President and when he gets relected he will fired all them.  Supreme Court get with the program you know better than that and people are not stupid.  Supreme Court know that corporation does not have feet or a mouth that talks and doesnt know anything about the Constitution, but only money.  Look, Supreme Court get your head of the mud and get above water and open your eyes.  Thank you!!!

You all on the Supreme Court seemed like you were eager to get this ruling done in time for the 2010 elections, almost as though you were acting in league with Americans for Prosperity and the corporate grassroots tea party movement.

Granted, the “CU v. FEC” decision, though clearly reverse engineered to achieve a politically pre-determined outcome, was no great stretch of existing law.  Resolving this inequity requires that we dig deeper.  Sure, corps can contract, sue & be sued, but corporate personhood has never been an “all or nothing” proposition.  You took the wrong track in Santa Clara Co. v. So. Pacific RR (1886), using amendments clearly aimed at eradicating slavery to radically expand corporate power, and you fell off the train completely with Buckley v. Valeo.  Spoken and written words are “speech;” money just buys them.  As an atty, I am ashamed that you have collectively forgotten that YOUR DUTY TO US IS OBJECTIVITY, NOT ADVOCACY.  Right this wrong, get back on the bandwagon, or we will go over your heads.  And yes, John, Tony I, Tony II, Clarence & Sam, there is still a little space up there, between your lips and God’s ear.  It is occupied by us, the people . . . you do know what a “person” is, don’t you?

Money in politics tends to corrupt and unlimited money corrupts absolutely.