LD Debate: Citizen's United v. Federal Election Commission ruling undermines democracy in the U.S.

You kind of messed up the entire flow of LD Debate. LD Debate is the debate upon values, like justice and democracy. Then you would also say how you achieve democracy and justice, or the value of your choice. The person would then tie their value and criterion (the way to acchieve democracy) into the argument. Our political system was createdso the individual could have equal rights and that is why I negate theresolution that Citizen’s United v. Federal Election Commission rulingundermines democracy in the US. I believe that corporations have the same rightsas individuals because according to the definition of corporation, which is alegal entity authorized to act as an individual, it can act as anindividual, which is defined as aperson; a distinct indivisible entity; a single thing; a being, instance, or item;a group considered as a unit. And because it can act as an individual, itshould have the same rights as an individual because Peter Calvert says in hisbook Comparative Politics that“democracies are states in which… certain basic freedoms, often termed as civilrights, will be guaranteed to the individual. ” According to this debate, democracy seems to be the appropriate valuefor this debate. To achieve democracy, we must use the prerequisite valuecriterion of equality of rights. Mythesis is this: To achieve democracy, wemust make sure that all individuals, including corporations, have equal rights. This ruling helps achieve democracy by ensuring that everyone has equal rightsunder the First Amendment. Contention One: Corporations are people. Let’s apply logic since that iswhat LD Debate is mainly about: If a corporation is an entity, and anindividual is an entity, then a corporation is an individual. And if acorporation is an individual, and an individual is a person, then a corporationis a person. And philosophically speaking, yes it is a person. Corporationsbreathe success just like humans breathe air. If a corporation is notsuccessful, it will die like a person without air in his body. Think of acompany that is not successful and is still alive. Exactly, there are none. Now, I can give plenty of examples in whichcorporations are people, but I need to read my contentions. So if you want tolearn more about how a corporation is a person, then ask me in the cross-examinationround. Contention Two: Denying a corporation’s right to donate money to apolitician is segregation. As I said in my first contention,corporations are people and if a certain group of people can donate money topoliticians and corporations can’t, then that in itself is segregation. Thatundermines democracy. That is why they ruled in favor of Citizen’s United; theydeserve equal rights as citizens. Contention Three and Four: Congress makes no clarification on what isspeech or who has the freedom of speech. The First Amendment says this: “Congressshall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting thefree exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; orthe right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Governmentfor a redress of grievances. ” Nowhere in that does it say what is speech or whohas the freedom of speech. Therefore, anyone has the freedom of speech,including corporations. Also, that means any legal action can be done to speaka message. And because donating money to a politician is a legal action, acorporation can donate money to a politician under the First Amendment withoutundermining democracy. Fifth Contention: Money donated by a corporation has no major effect onthe election. During the election, they weretalking about the Citizen’s United case and its effects. But what the newsreporters and others have observed is that the ruling had no major effect onthe election. Mitt Romney had $55 million more dollars than President Obamafrom Super PAC and corporation donations, but Obama won the election. Conclusion: I close with this: The reason whyCitizen’s United won the court case, the reason why Citizen’s United v. FederalElection Commission doesn’t undermine democracy because corporations are peopleand for one group of people to have the right to donate money to a politicianand corporations don’t is segregation.