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0 pointsOkayPhysicist3y ago0 comments

Probably. The wording of the Declaration of Independence makes it clear that rights, at least in the American tradition, are not granted to you by law, they are inalienable human rights that are protected by law. That's why immigrants, tourists, and other visitors to America are still protected by the Constitution.

Now, over time we've eroded some of that, but we still have some of the most radical free speech laws in the world. It's one of the few things that I can say I'm proud of my country for.

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sangnoir3y ago· 2 in thread

I don't mean Dutch immigrants - I mean Dutch people living in the Netherlands (or Russians in Russia). One can incorporate an American entity as a non-resident without ever stepping foot on American soil - do you think it's a good idea for that entity to have the same rights as American citizens, and more rights than its members (who are neither citizens, nor on American soil)?

jjeaff3y ago

I know that foreign nationals and foreign governments are prohibited from donating money to super PACs. They are also prohibited from even indirect, non-coordinated expenditures for or against a political candidate. (which is basically what a super PAC does).

However, foreign nationals can contribute to "Social Welfare Organizations" like the NRA which, in order to be classified as a SWO, must spend less than half it's budget on political stuff. That SWO can then donate to super PACs but don't have to disclose where the money came from.

Foreign owned companies with US based subsidiaries can donate to Super PACs as well. But the super PACs are not allowed to solicit donations from foreign nationals (see Jeb Bush's fines for soliciting money from a British tobacco company for his super pac).

I would imagine that if foreign nationals setup a corporation in the US in order to funnel money to political causes, that would be illegal. But if they are using established, legitimate businesses to launder their donations, that seems to be allowed as long as we can't prove that foreign entities are earmarking specific funds to end up in PACs and campaigns in the US.

ioulaum3y ago

Any entity that contributes responsibly to society should be able to get some benefits from society in return.

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