Campainful finance future

Recently the Supreme Court decided that campain finance would continue to be open to individuals, groups, organizations, and corporations, all of which would compete for significance to their congressional and presidential representatives on a level playing field. Obviously since most the general public can't afford to donate terribly generious sums, corporations and private groups and organizations which can typically raise capital much faster than individuals will have the advantage. For the Supreme Court this is no departure from past. Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States gives details of the Court's actions throughout the late 19th century in interpreting the 14th amendment, which of course defined citizenship and was meant to protect recently freed slaves. Zinn points out that almost immediatly the court began to interpret the amendment as a protection for corporations. The decision of MUNN VS. ILLINOIS ruled that corporations had the same rights as individuals. This made it difficult for a state to regulate the charges companies dealt out, since these charges were that company's "property". Zinn also points out that between 1890 and 1910 the Supreme Court heard 307 cases involving the 14th amendment, only nineteen dealt with blacks, the other two hundred eighty eight delt with corporations. So things really haven't changed much. This month's decision is dishearting yet not surprising. So we won't be seeing any changes this election year, from the record setting fundraising totals of 2008. Already the candidates running for congress this fall have raised 459.62 million dollars thus far, according to opensecrets.org; of this the candidates have already spent 219.72 million and it's only January. With a little over nine months until this November the prospects seems bleek that campain finance will be altered in favor of democracy this election cycle, but we must persist, we must continue to push congress to intervene and continue to push the Court's stance for our future's sake.