Robert Reich: This morning the Supreme Court heard arguments in “Perkins vs. Federal Trade Commission,” a case brought by billionaire venture capitalist Thomas Perkins, who claims that under First Amendment’s due process clause the number of votes a person is entitled to cast in an election for congress or the presidency should be proportional to how much that person pays in federal taxes. Several members of the Court seemed receptive. “Sounds sensible,” said Justice Antonin Scalia. “If you pay a million dollars in taxes, you should get a million votes, just like an investor in a corporation. That was the original intent of the Founding Fathers.” Justice Samuel Alito also was impressed. “Obviously, if a corporation has First Amendment free speech rights, a corporation that pays taxes should have voting rights and in proportion to how much it pays in taxes.” Clarence Thomas, who rarely speaks, was jubilant. “No taxation without representation!” he nearly shouted. On the other hand, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg expressed doubts. “This must be an April Fool’s joke.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:28:12 +0000
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