Change of Address: To Occupant, Koch Brothers Ave., United States of Adelson

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court announced their decision to eliminate the cap on individual contributions in any two-year, federal election cycle.  The vote was 5-4, with five Republican appointed judges voting to eliminate the spending cap and four Democrat appointed judges voting to keep it.

The Republican appointed judges saw this as a freedom of speech issue. In the decision, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote, "There is no right in our democracy more basic than the right to participate in electing our political leaders."  

what eye thynk:   What the decision fails to acknowledge is that, by allowing unlimited spending, those with more will be exercising their basic right to participate in our election process outfitted with the power of the latest and loudest microphone, while those with less will be sharing a communal cardboard funnel.

The majority decision voiced the opinion that leveling the playing field, giving everyone an equal voice, is not an "acceptable interest for the government."   If the Court truly believes it is unacceptable for a democratic government--a government supposedly based on "All men are created equal" and the concept of one man-one vote--to have an interest in protecting that constitutionally guaranteed equality, how does this Court define democracy? 

The Court's decision echoes their 2010 Citizens United decision, with a majority of the Justices still blindly believing "the possibility that an individual who spends large sums may garner 'influence over or access to' elected officials or political parties is unjustified." You have to wonder where these five men were during the last four years.  Did they not notice the out-sized influence people like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson garnered simply because they are in possession of large personal fortunes?

So far, in the current mid-term election, the Koch brothers have spent $7 million in North Carolina on ads against Senator Kay Hagan (D)--and the Republicans haven't even chosen their candidate yet! 

During the last presidential election, Sheldon Adelson famously said he would "do whatever it takes" to defeat President Obama, eventually spending close to $100 million in that fight.  Yes, he failed, but that cannot be construed as proof of fairness.  His efforts may have been controlled somewhat by the then existing spending limits.  After all, it must have been time consuming figuring out how to filter all those millions anonymously through "social service" Super PACs.   

With the Supreme Court's elimination of that irritating little barrier, with Mr. Adelson free to put a billion, two billion, ad infinitum billions into any one election cycle, with the Koch brothers allowed to funnel hundreds of millions more into false anti-anything Democrat ads, what chance do you or I have of being heard?  When the Congressman representing my district receives a note from the Koch brothers saying, "You know, we really don't like environmental protection rules, oh, and by the way, here's a mega-million dollar check for your campaign" do you think your $100, please stop fracking request will get the same respect?  

The five Republican appointed Justice's gross misunderstanding of--or purposeful indifference to--the conjunction of money and political influence has effectively sold this country to the 1%.  The rest of us are welcome to stay, as long as we're quiet and don't ask to share in the bounty.  They might even allow some of us to vote...maybe.