JMO - Corporate Aristocracy

After reading the news of the Supreme Court ruling overturning decades old laws governing campaign advertising, basically making it an open market for corporations to sell views, aka votes, on issues and candidates, I think two things will happen, or at least for me.

For one, the networks will see a boon in revenue from corporate sponsored ads and political shows, all meant to present a view and sway voters. But I think if they go too far, meaning the corporations overload the networks or the networks oversell air time, the viewers will simply decide to turn off the TV or at least their network.

And for another, at least the ads and shows will have to announce who is sponoring and paying for it. That means you will get to see where the money you spend on products is going, and if you don't like what they're doing, you can choose not to buy their products. Meaning you vote with your pocketbook.

And that's what I intend to do. I don't watch much TV anyway, and really not much network channels, especially prime time shows, but I will monitor the ads and elect not to watch at all if it's gets too much. I can't stop the corporations from sponsoring ads and shows, but I can stop them from getting my money to do it.

I know I can't stop buying all the products, too many companies are subsidaries of larger corporations, some of which make products I need or want to get through life. It's the reality of the corporate world and products. I can, however, choose products to replace some of them, which is something I will do.

And what bothers me even more about the ruling, it's that it doesn't prohibit foreign or international companies and corporations from sponsoring ads or shows. Many US companies and corporations are foreign owned anyway, like the oil giants where none are solely US owned but subsidaries of larger international conglomerates.

We can't change that and we can't stop buying gas for our cars, we can only choose the lesser of the bad companies. And it's the non-US ones now that can join in the political funding. This means the 2010 national elections will be interesting, and something to see who funds what on which channel.

But don't expect me to watch much. After all I still control the on/off switch on my TV. And I control my money and who gets it.