Corporate rule is the most important issue facing our country.
On August 16, the Boulder City Council will discuss whether to put a referendum on the November ballot supporting a constitutional amendment that says that corporations don’t have constitutional rights and that money isn’t speech. This referendum is part of a national campaign to decrease the power of large multinational corporations on our political system and to restore democracy to our country.
Here are three key reasons why the city council should put this critical issue on the ballot:
First, corporations are not human beings and should not have constitutional rights. Corporations are not even mentioned in the U.S. Constitution. They are human-made entities, and as such must be under the control of the people and our representatives.
Before 1886, corporations were seen as businesses that provided a service for the society; they could be easily dissolved if they harmed the public interest. Since 1886, corporations have been granted constitutional rights through a succession of decisions by unelected Supreme Court justices. By doing this, the courts have made it possible for corporations to take control of our government, our media and almost every aspect of our society. this has been very destructive of our democracy, which is now just a shadow of its former self.
Second, large corporations use their Supreme Court-granted constitutional rights to undermine human and environmental well-being every day. They destroy our environment, our rivers, our oceans, our air, our water, our soil. They have annihilated thousands of species. They destroy our health, our culture, our solidarity, our capacity to be free people, our ability to make a living. They make us into consumers, pollute our minds with advertising and lies and destroy our communities. They buy our government officials and destroy our democracy.
Third, for decades now, the Supreme Court has been pushing the strange notion that the spending of money at election time equals free speech and cannot be reasonably regulated. As a result, corporations and rich individuals spend billions of dollars on sophisticated and deceptive TV ads in order to influence voters and determine the outcome of our elections.
By equating money and speech, the Supreme Court has said in effect that powerful corporations and wealthy people are entitled to more free speech than the rest of us. This goes against the spirit of democracy. Unfortunately in its history the Supreme Court has often sided with the rich and powerful rather than with ordinary people and our democracy.
Most people can distinguish between money and speech. If the Supreme Court can’t see the difference, then we need to speak out and make our voices heard.
We the people have been unable to protect ourselves against the massive onslaught created by the accumulation of wealth and power of large corporations.
What can you do?
Come to the city council hearing on this issue on Tuesday, August 16, 6:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building at the southwest corner of Broadway and Canyon in Boulder. Tell the Council: “NO, corporations are not people and money is not speech.” Tell them you want to vote on this issue in November. Tell them we need to take away constitutional rights from corporations to save our democracy and ourselves.
You can sign up to speak when you get there or just be a supportive presence at the hearing. Please come and demonstrate solidarity with this indispensable movement to restore our democracy.
For more information on this issue, go to www.poclad.org or www.movetoamend.org.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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