Letter: Louder Voice for the Rich?

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To the Editor:

Re "Supreme Court Again Weighs Spending Limits in Campaigns" (news article, Oct. 9):

In discussing the Supreme Court arguments over limits on aggregate campaign contributions, you quote Justice Antonin Scalia as saying sarcastically that "a law that only prohibits the speech of 2 percent of the country is O.K." But that completely misstates the issue. The law in question prevents no one from speaking out; it merely inhibits those with great wealth from drowning out the voices of the rest of us.

Where did we get the idea that the First Amendment means that the rich must be allowed a louder voice than those with slimmer wallets?