Saturday June 23, 2012, 8:37 am

Though all political eyes and ears await an upcoming decision by the US Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act, likely to be handed down next week, a new study released on Thursday suggests that many Americans, while awaiting one decision or another, are missing a larger trend pervading the Robert's court. The report, released by the Constitution Accountability Center, found that in every case before the court this term, the majority has found in favor of the position taken by the US Chamber of Commerce, a conservative lobbying group.

This trend, in which the Chamber has scored seven consecutive victories, bolsters arguments made by many observers who note that the Supreme Court in recent years has taken decidedly favorable positions for business interests while siding against the arguments of consumer advocates, labor unions, and the public interest.

The Nation's John Nichols, responding to Thursday's SCOTUS decision that will now require public-employee unions to get specific permission from employees in workplaces they represent for special assessments before making political campaign expenditures, said the pattern of corporate interests winning out over the interests of "real human beings" is quite clear.

"The Court-ordered shift creates an incredible bureaucratic nightmare for organizations that represent hundreds of thousands of workers," contends Nichols. "And," he adds,"It was entirely unnecessary, as key unions have indicated that they would be willing not just to maintain their “opt-out” clauses but to refund special assessment money to any member or represented nonmember who might object to a political initiative."

Writing the dissenting for the opinion was Justice Stephen Breyer who was joined only by Justice Kagan in opposing the majority. “The debate about public unions’ collective bargaining rights is currently intense,” Breyer wrote. “The question of how a nonmember indicates a desire not to pay constitutes an important part of this debate.… There is no good reason for this court suddenly to enter the debate, much less now to decide that the Constitution resolves it.”

If both history and legal precedent are being written at the Supreme Court, the tale seems to be that big business has a court quite willing to take its side in arguments. For many, the more troubling development is the manner in which the court has gone out of its way to make life that much harder for those who seek to put the reigns on corporate power.

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-Common Dreams staff | Common Dreams |

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Saturday June 23, 2012, 8:54 am
SIEG HEIL !

"Fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power." -- il Duce Benito Mussolini

Saturday June 23, 2012, 9:26 am
The far left is spending a whole lot of time blaming corporations for their woes. BTW, Reagan didn't spend his entire first term blaming Jimmy Carter.

Saturday June 23, 2012, 9:45 am
What's to blame Jimmy Carter for? But if the shoe fits and in this case, it certainly seems to do so, then let's admit it. This picture says it all - bought and paid for, the Supreme Court has very little to do with justice these days.

Saturday June 23, 2012, 9:52 am
The Republican Injustices guarantee that the Constitution takes a back seat to plutocratic dogma.

Saturday June 23, 2012, 10:34 am
High Court ?

Saturday June 23, 2012, 10:35 am
Love the picture : )

Saturday June 23, 2012, 10:38 am
Put solar back on the White House, add additional insulation, energy efficient lighting, and high efficiency HVAC. We need to save not spend lots of money on saleries for people who don't know much about anything.

Saturday June 23, 2012, 12:23 pm
The left is no better Kit. This is not a party line issue. It is on both sides of the aisle in America and all over our political parties here in Canada.

Saturday June 23, 2012, 12:45 pm
Perhaps a name change in in order to better describe the institution. How about 'The Supreme Corporate Court'
I agree Cam that this is not a party line issue but I can't remember the last time there was a left wing party in power in either the U.S. or Canada. Nope wait we did have one under the NDP but they caved and acted like a right-wing party once in power. Yup the political parties all represent corporate power.

Saturday June 23, 2012, 2:28 pm
withdraw your consent, silence is acceptance, we are change
protect life, prosecute those that seek to destroy our shared home and our fellow beings
life has value beyond measure
Peace and Love
*********** WALL OF SHAME ************
┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬
┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬
┬┴┬┴┬┴ The Wall ┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴
┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬
┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴
DEMOLISH ------>>>>> THIS WALL !!!!
DEMAND FREEDOM, FOR ALL THE WORLD!!!!

Saturday June 23, 2012, 9:43 pm
It appears that the Supreme Court is on a mission to allow "Big Business" to give us "the business." The conservatives really ARE determined to break up labor unions! If the tens of millions of dollars flowing into Wisconsin from out-of-state sources to support tea-party Governor Walker and his union-busting tactics didn't convince us, then these Supreme Court decisions should! If it isn't a party issue when the Chamber of Commerce scores seven consecutive victories, and there just happens to be a conservative majority among the justices, what might one call it? God's will? An inexplicable coincidence? No one is that gullible...

Saturday June 23, 2012, 10:27 pm
Yes, Susanne, that may well be their hope, that we simply accept, for it is god's will. Inexplicable? Only to those of us whose brains still function rationally, and remain untainted by the greed disease.

We are long past the need to amend the Constitution, whatever it takes to put a stop to the Supreme Courts' abuse of their power and purpose. Does the concept of a life time appointment make sense to anyone? They have become secure in their belief that they are beyond sanction.

Sunday June 24, 2012, 4:53 am
Horrible situation with the left as responsible as the right. You should put NASCAR logos on all of them. A court that is split along political lines is no court at all, let alone "Supreme".

Sunday June 24, 2012, 7:54 am
The old 'liberal' court sided with the people, so it's not surprising that the new 'conservative' court sides with the corporate raiders and thieves on Wall St. The 'People' be damned! But they are expected to continue to pay for it all, including the billions paid out in corporate welfare.

This conservative court showed its true colors when it performed a bloodless coup and installed GW Bush as president, and the establishment just shrugged and let them do it. Only the black members of Congress showed any true character by walking out on that outrage. The Supremes know they can get away with anything now.

Until the people in the US all start voting for Independents for president, especially, there will never be any change. There is only one Corporate-owned party now with two wings that differ on some social policies, but are pretty identical on the Military-Industrial-Complex US world domination neo-Colonialism to enrich the War Profiteers and Robber Barons of Wall St. Inc.

There is a real progressive running (not that phony that's in the White House now), Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party. He's been endorsed by Ralph Nader, another man who has dedicated his life to betterment of the world, the country, the environment and the people. Why keep voting and holding your nose. Vote, finally, for someone who actually represents what you believe in. Any time you vote you risk losing, but at least you'd be voting for someone with real progressive values for a change.

www.voterocky.org/

Sunday June 24, 2012, 8:24 am
It's easy for us "born liberals" to see how corporate-driven the conservative right are; it's much more difficult to see and admit that the same is true of the left who have made it to power positions. That may be the key to understanding how both parties are responsible: The power positions of both parties are being bought and sold by corporate influence. It seems probable that both Rs and Ds use their "insider trading" information to gain wealth. That is a part of every Congress person's privilege now.. They all have made laws that they are exempt from. Martha Stewart had to go to jail for possibly hearing something about the market before the ring of the bell the next day. But Congresspeople hear those things all the time within the confines of the capitol and have immunity from being punished for acting upon their knowledge. It's not just the Republicans who have made these laws that distinguish them from us. I think that you and I, the ordinary citizen of the left, actually believe in the values espoused by the Democratic party--or what we think they espouse--fairness, charity, individual responsibility with a dose of altruism thrown into the mix. It's the DNC itself, however, that actually supports the powers that be as much as the RNC does. The SUPREMIST Court is only reflecting the values of those in power. It no longer represents (if it ever did) the objective, scholarly examination of issues. It is merely another tool for BigMoney. It's possible that the four liberal-leaning judges actually do rule from an understanding that is much different from the money-grubbing right, but it's also possible, I suppose, that they are breathing free because the right out-numbers them and thereby relieves them of showing their true leanings. It's very hard to know who is in the pocket of the corporations and who isn't. Even my hero Bernie Sanders has made an error here and there. It's a shame that when most of the members of this "Supreme" Court agree on an issue, it usually means that the fix is in, rather than that a wrong has been corrected. What a shame.

Sunday June 24, 2012, 8:34 am
Rob and Jay must have been writing at the same time I was because I didn't see their note before I created mine. They expressed what I was trying to get at much better than I did. I think they're right about voting, also. It is very, very frightening for many of us to think of allowing a Republican to gain the Presidency, but when we realize that in today's atmosphere world there's not a whole lot of difference between R & D, voting one's own conscience does make more sense. Thanks Rob and Jay for being so clear. I may write in Bernie Sanders, but the principle's the same!

Sunday June 24, 2012, 9:17 am
It is coming down to simply Good vs. Evil. The problem is that there are a lot of hypnotized zombies thinking they are on the Good side. Its like a bad dream we are having collectively, eh? who would have believed this just 20 years ago?

Sunday June 24, 2012, 9:52 am
You are quite right, Caitlin - both R's and D's are pretty disgusting in many ways - it would seem we are not so far from the Dark Ages after all...

Sunday June 24, 2012, 12:04 pm
In many ways it does seem as though it's good against evil, but neither the evil nor the good lies completely in either one of our political parties, Camila. I think that's a mistake that is being made-- and a mistake that the corporate plutocracy has encouraged so as to keep the heat off of themselves! Many of the teabaggers are actually folks just like ourselves who want a better life and are being rooked out of a means of supporting themselves. We have a common complaint. We just haven't recognized yet that all the arguments that have been flaunted in front of us are specious ones. All the left aren't communists and all the right aren't all gun-toting bigots. The greedy bastards love it when we get into fights about these fears that we have of "the other." They are feeding these lies to us like chew-sticks to a dog so that we'll keep gnawing on those old stereotypes and not attack the real reasons for our country going down the tubes: Greed & Unfettered Capitalism. And so it goes...

Monday June 25, 2012, 11:34 pm
America and most "Democracies" are in fact plutocracies-Have always been-That "govt for the people by the people --etc see Gettysburg address Lincoln -was refering to freedom from Feudal ties and Royalty etc---
Even Marx circa 1860 remarked on the fact that the American system consisted in two groups with vested financial interests trying to wrest the control from one another .

There is nothing new in what is going on it is just that it is more blatant

What is worryingis that the corporates have such control now through the facts that
1They are the main source of employment and therefore of taxes
2 Being able to tax corporates and their stockholders is a strong income stream for government too
3 They can hold the government to ransom in a variety of ways
1 "Outsourcing "to other countries
2 Moving out of t5he country entirelyentirely
3 Engineering fights with unions and therefore breakdowns of essential services as so many essential services are now privatised
4 Taking initiatives against the government like forming spurious interest and lobbby groupseg some of the Koch Bros enterprises
5 Dousing the media with false advertising so as to make good planning eg Healthcare difficult