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Don’t you love it when people rise up in an honest and open way?
When Target gave money in July to a pro-business group in Minnesota, the company thought it was helping its bottom line by backing candidates in its home state who support lower taxes. Instead, the retailer has found itself in a fight with liberal and gay rights groups that has escalated into calls for a nationwide boycott and protests at the company’s headquarters and stores.
The problem: Target’s $100,000 helped pay for TV ads supporting the gubernatorial campaign of Republican state Rep. Tom Emmer, who thinks Minnesota’s corporate taxes should be lower. As it turns out, he also wants to ban same-sex marriage.
All of this is a direct result of January’s Supreme Court ruling allowing corporations to contribute unlimited money for political advertising. The court foolishly determined that in matters of free speech, there should be no distinction between individuals and corporations. Adding to the idiocy of that decision is the fact that corporations may do so anonymously. Target’s problems arose because Minnesota’s laws force political committee’s to disclose their list of contributors.
Let Target’s problems be a warning to other corporations attempting to influence political campaigns by way of money. While they may do so with their clientele never being aware, they risk the chance of a national boycott should they be found out.
Mess around with the people, the people mess around with you. It’s only fair.
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