Reply #11: Yes.

[donco6]

http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci_14242352

A major victory for free speech
A decision by the Supreme Court reverses decades of laws that only served to drive campaign finance underground.

By The Denver Post
Posted: 01/22/2010 01:00:00 AM MST


The Supreme Court struck a vital blow for free speech Thursday by ruling that government cannot outlaw corporate spending in the elections of political candidates.

The complex web of campaign spending restrictions put in place over the decades, most recently with the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act, have created a flawed system that limits political speech and encourages indirect giving that can make political campaigns unaccountable.

When McCain-Feingold passed, its stated intention was to take money and corruption out of politics. It failed in both regards. Instead, its ambiguous and complex provisions unleashed a number of unintended consequences with a negative and chilling effect on free speech.

To illustrate the problem, the justices explained in the majority opinion that a group like the Sierra Club would be breaking the law if it ran an advertisement within 60 days of an election "that exhorts the public to disapprove of a Congressman who favors logging in national forests."



Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/editorials/ci_14242352#ixzz0dS1u1tdU