Corporations are not voters

To the editor:

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court opened wide new avenues for big-moneyed interests to spend vast sums of money to support candidates who stand with them and against anti-business interests. In a 5-4 ruling, the court declared that corporations are permitted to make unlimited independent expenditures to influence the outcomes of federal elections. That means corporations can spend billions either hyping their preferred candidates or running attack ads against elected officials who don’t support their preferred agenda.

Federal law has prohibited corporations from influencing elections in this manner since Teddy Roosevelt was president. It is my belief that this decision will have the effect of marginalizing the ordinary citizen, making our voices weak by comparison to that of the big-money players. As individuals, we should stand up and demand that our rights not be infringed. Demand that Congress redress this wrong and enact regulations to prevent corporate influence in federal elections. Corporations are not voters.

Patricia Fisher

Wasilla