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Citizens United must be overturned

12/10/2014

The recent midterm elections have proven the dire warnings about the “Citizens United” Supreme Court decision have come true. The court ruling, in effect, gives corporations the ability to buy elections by allowing them to spend unlimited amounts of “dark money.” We just endured the results of that ruling with the massive, unprecedented negative advertising in the midterm elections. In his dissent, Former Supreme Court Justice Stevens predicted the Citizens United ruling would give corporations unfair influence by flooding the electoral process with vast sums of money that few individuals could match. He warned that an individual’s right to free speech would be drowned out by corporations that can buy all the available broadcast time and dominate the marketplace of ideas with their narrow partisan views. In addition, the Citizens United decision gives corporate lobbyists a deadly weapon to threaten any elected official. (Vote as we demand or face unlimited spending to defeat you). For the first time in our history, the Citizens United decision places a price on free speech; it distributes the quantity of speech based on the ability to pay for it. Sixteen states have joined to overturn this anti-democratic ruling — Iowa should join them.

Rick Smith
–Urbandale

A lawless president

Here is one reply to the problem of the huge surge of illegal immigrants flooding into our country. The zealots who are now making up all manner of excuses to justify law-breaking on a massive scale also are yearning for “a man on a white horse.” A sinister desire, if ever there were one. Someone who will fulfill all their fantasies for them. In another time and another place, this would be correctly labeled calling for a dictator who will rule by imperial decree. It is also true that all tyrants and dictators have their retinue of supporters.

The Constitution of the United States of America clearly prohibits President Obama or any other President from arbitrarily ruling by Executive Order. Article I. Section 8 of the Constitution plainly gives this power to Congress. Section 8 starts: “The Congress shall have the power to establish a uniform rule of Naturalization”…

It is obvious to me that what President Obama has been doing is unconstitutional, all of which threatens to become much worse.

CNA - Stop HIV Iowa

Article II., Section 1 of the Constitution reads: “Before he enters on the execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation: – “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Of special interest is Article II., Section 4, “The President, Vice President and all Civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of Treason, Briber, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

It also seems clear to me that we are headed straight into a Constitutional crisis driven by a lawless President assisted by other politicians and activists. John Locke wrote, “Where there is no law, there is no freedom.”

–Clifford Rushton
Des Moines

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