What happened to checks and balances?

What we understood to be our democratic system died on Jan. 21 in the U.S. Supreme Court. In a 5-4 decision, the court removed spending limits and controls on corporations. The ruling means that there are no limits on spending for ads for or against candidates for president and Congress. As the law of the land, it will probably impact state elections, too.

Corporations are legal entities without the right to vote, yet they have been given the right to have an even more significant effect on the outcome of our elections.

These are the same corporations that are such good citizens they send American jobs to foreign countries and move their own corporate headquarters offshore, all in the name of profit. The same corporations that lied to shareholders, manipulated markets and overpaid executives. The same corporations whose reckless investments nearly toppled our financial system, the same corporations that sought help from the US taxpayer in their time of need.  And now the conservative block of the our Supreme Court, the same justices who voted George W. Bush into office,  has seen fit to present corporations the keys to the country.

So much for checks and balances.

BOB WYNHAUSEN

Sandpoint