February letter contained misguided views about Citizens United

To the Editor:

Just when I thought my level of bewilderment has peaked in regard to the political beliefs of fellow citizens, I read Robert Schwab’s attempt at "educating" readers on his interpretation of Citizens United v. FEC. I’m not sure where his political or business interests lie, but to believe that this 2010 Supreme Court decision benefits democracy in our country for rank and file citizens? My amazement has reached a new level.

To be clear, I am not interested in fencing with his chosen political party. We all know that never works. I am concerned about miseducation regarding this topic to our community members and voters. The notion that giving corporations the same right to free speech as individuals is good for our democracy is a dangerous one. To allow corporations and other entities the ability to use unlimited money streams ANONYMOUSLY to fund corporate lobbying interests is a blatant attack on the residue of our democracy.

If one believes that large U.S. corporations that pay no business taxes should be given the same rights to free speech as a real person, then we have reached a new dimension of cynicism. Using the example of shrinking unions, which now only make up 7 percent of the private sector workplace, further proves how desperately weak their point is.