oldnumberseven

Reckless Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance: Special interests win, we lose
By Star-Ledger Editorial Board/The Star-Led…
January 22, 2010, 5:45AM

... But Thursday, in a 5-4 decision, this supposedly conservative court swept all that away. So now, instead of soliciting their employees or members for voluntary donations to political action committees, unions and corporations can tap their general funds for political causes, allowing them to spend much more.
In a day when special interests already hold our democracy by the throat, the court has helped them tighten their grip.
And it could get worse. Sen. Bill Baroni, a Republican attorney and the state Legislature’s leading expert on campaign finance, warns that this decision opens the door to challenges against New Jersey’s pay-to-play laws, and its ban on political spending by casinos, banks, insurers, and utilities.

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About six million Americans receiving food stamps report they have no other income, according to an analysis of state data collected by The New York Times. In declarations that states verify and the federal government audits, they described themselves as unemployed and receiving no cash aid — no welfare, no unemployment insurance, and no pensions, child support or disability pay.

via The Safety Net-NYTimes.com.