see Beef Makers Can Be Forced to Pay for Ads

In another disappointing ruling from the Supreme Court, the Justices ruled 6-3 that beef cattle farmers can be required to pay into a fund for the purposes of advertising that beef (and not just American beef) is good food.

The case ended up being argued around whether the program is government-run or run by a private industry group; the majority ruled that it is government run and that the government has full authority therefore to require these types of contributions.

But for me, it's irrelevant whether it is a government or private program. Just as people must have the right to say what they want to, they must also have the right not to say what they don't want to. This is the flip side of McCain-Feingold. Today's case was about a rule which should have been found a violation of the First Amendment by requiring unwanted speech and campaign finance restrictions should have been found a violation of the First Amendment by preventing free speech.

Our Republic is in trouble when our Supreme Court does not correct what most clear-thinking Americans would consider to be obvious challenges to our basic Constitutional rights.