What does the U.S. flag represent post- Citizens United/McCutcheon?

[jasonnfree]

I think you described what the flag USED to mean. Now it means the United Corporations of America.

To me, campaign donations are like bribery. Now the supremes put bribery on steroids and we don't always know who provides the bribery money. Could be communist chinese or terrorists for all we know. Now we have two classes of citizens. First class and second class. First class citizens that never die. They can split up into different parts and holding companies if need be. Claim residencies in different parts of the world while doing business here in USA all for tax purposes. They usually don't go to jail but pay paltry fines or do signing agreements promising to conduct business more ethically and legal like, even when felonies are committed and people die. And, they don't even have a birth certificate!!
The new citizens, the rest of us, are now 2nd class citizens. Get fined or go to jail when we break the law. Have to register for the draft for male over 18. If things go bad for 2nd class citizens financially, it's no longer easy to declare bankruptcy and get bailed out by the taxpayers such as first class citizens do frequently. Remember the 2008 bailout? All first class citizens got the bailout money. Oh, if there's a serious war, guess which class of citizen has to join the military or get drafted? Not corporations, they don't even have a birth certificate. It can't be proven they're males or 18 and older.

 

[oldfart]

I think you described what the flag USED to mean. Now it means the United Corporations of America.

So you want to abandon ownership in the symbol rather than fight to retain it? Somebody tells you to "Love America or leave it" do you book a ticket?
You're made of stiffer stuff than that.

 

[guno]

Liberals treat the flag and the Constitution like tissues, tampons and toilet paper

 

[Katzndogz]

Liberals hate the sight of the flag and the pledge of allegiance to that flag. Time to give them what they want. Americans can take the flag and leave the libs to the Russians and Chinese.

 

[jasonnfree]

CDZ thread so lets keep this civil shall we?

I was wondering what the flag represents given the SCOTUS keeps giving more power to the few as evidenced by the most recent McCutcheon decision. Flooding the political process w/ huge donations.

As some of you know, I served active-duty so patriotism is not something alien to me but find it harder and harder to care when the gov't increasingly are merely water-carriers for the well- heeled.

The Supreme Court?s McCutchon Decision Was Worse Than Citizens United - US News

The conclusion is clear: Larger contribution amounts should be interpreted as a more “robust exercise” of speech than smaller ones. In the McCutcheon case the Court has cast aside the characterization of contributions that has allowed campaign finance laws since the 1970s to withstand constitutional scrutiny.

As some also know, I said I don't bother voting anymore as the system is rigged (most people know this, thats why the country's voting participation-levels are so abysmally low.)

So, what can be done?

This guy is pretty smart so he knows theres a problem, as do I. Here's one way to address it- citizen involvement outlined in this 10 min lecture:

Lawrence Lessig: The unstoppable walk to political reform | Talk Video | TED.com

Why you should listen

Lawyer and activist Lawrence Lessig spent a decade arguing for sensible intellectual property law, updated for the digital age. He was a founding board member of Creative Commons, an organization that builds better copyright practices through principles established first by the open-source software community.

In 2007, just after his last TED Talk, Lessig announced he was leaving the field of IP and Internet policy, and moving on to a more fundamental problem that blocks all types of sensible policy -- the corrupting influence of money in American politics.

We know who the pols work for & it isn't the little guy. Do you vote knowing this? How do we go back to all people having an equal voice?

It represents the end of birth certificates. Corporations are now citizens and they didn't have to produce birth certificates, so conservatives better not complain about Obama not having one any more.

 

[whitehall]

The altered Flag in the photo represents disrespect and ignorance. It's nothing new.

 

[oldfart]

The altered Flag in the photo represents disrespect and ignorance. It's nothing new.

I assume you have the same feelings about right wing zealots who portray a flag flying upside down or defaced in a manner to indicate their political opinions?

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

some say that the recent ruling will bring money back out into the light & to the parties, where it used to be, as opposed to front groups who take cash & run a shadow *cough* "unaffiliated" campaign which has been the norm since Citizens United. That's not necessarily so, as we all know, if you read the paper ocassionally, that pols are frequently caught misusing *cough* "campaign contributions".

When BOTH rulings are incorrect IMO doesn't matter if the money is hidden or out in the open, it still corrupts the process.

As is often the case with regard to such issues, there is no disagreement that there is indeed a problem, the disagreement is as to the solution.

We must remember that it is neither the role nor the responsibility of the Supreme Court to ‘solve’ problems, it is the role of the Supreme Court to review laws and determine their constitutionality, not whether the laws are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ or needed to address a given problem; laws can be un-Constitutional regardless how well-intentioned and regardless how legitimate the problem.

Consequently, both rulings are appropriate and in keeping with First Amendment jurisprudence.

In essence the Court is telling the American people that they must resolve the problem in the political realm, not the legal; where it is the responsibility of the voters to compel their elected officials to address the problem of campaign finance, and in a manner consistent with the Constitution.

 

[Dot Com]

The altered Flag in the photo represents disrespect and ignorance. It's nothing new.

I served. You? If you read the OP, which you obviously didn't, you'd know why I included it. PLEASE PEOPLE!!!If you can't read, stay out of my discussion thread in the CDZ

anyway, back to topic: looks like the senate will at least discuss it:

Watching Campaign Finance Disclosure @CSPANVL Campaign Finance Laws Disclosure | Video | C-SPAN.org

 

[whitehall]

The altered Flag in the photo represents disrespect and ignorance. It's nothing new.

I assume you have the same feelings about right wing zealots who portray a flag flying upside down or defaced in a manner to indicate their political opinions?

As a Vet who was brought up to respect American traditions I do not condone either "right wing" or "left wing" defacement of the Flag but we have to admit that it mostly happens in left wing demonstrations.

 

[Dot Com]

Seriously? What was the whole label flag rw fiasco about given many Repubs at that time, and even more so now, prolly never served? It was used as a prop to take cheap political shots at the President.