In this week's Citizen's United decision, the Supreme Court struck down many significant aspects of campaign finance "reform" legislation. The court held that corporations, not just individuals, have free speech rights under the First Amendment. This means that corporations can print books, take out campaign ads, and do many other previously prohibited things at election time. Unions, who also were previously shackled by the legislation, likewise now have these freedoms.Any business that wanted to say something about a candidate used to have to appear before a government bureaucrat at the Federal Election Commission, who would check whether the Commission's eleven-factor test was satisfied. (They actually had an eleven-factor test - really!) Most small businesses don't have the time or resources for this, so as a practical matter the small business was left without free speech rights.Naturally, the left really hates the Citizen's United decision. "With a single,...(Read Full Post)