MINDSETTER ™ Ed Augustus: Mitt Romney Corporations Aren’t People

Friday, February 24, 2012

Ed Augustus, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER™

Ed Augustus, GoLocalWorcesterMINDSETTER™

Mitt Romney is wrong about so many things, but perhaps the thing he is the most clearly wrong about is the opinion he shares with a majority of our Supreme Court that that believe that Corporations are people too. While corporations are important parts of our economy and help provide, jobs, products, services and economic activity they should not be allowed to have their narrow interest drowned out the broader “public interests”. That’s exactly what’s happened as a result of the Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission Supreme Court ruling of 2010.

That ruling has changed the nature of our federal campaigns. We are now in the middle of what looks to be our first multi-billion dollar presidential campaign. As each state takes its turn in the Republican presidential primary we see a battle of the “super Pac’s” funded by wealthy individuals and corporate interests. Is it any wonder that we are not hearing discussion of changing our tax code to remove corporate welfare and loopholes that allow some huge corporations to pay no federal tax? Instead primary voters are bombarded with negative, factual dubious accusations about opponents with the candidates left to fain lack of knowledge or ability to control the message or target. Give me a break!

The idea that this is what our founders had in mind when risking life and limb to create a government “of the people, by the people and for the people” is a very creative interpretation of the founder’s intent. Instead this has become a decision “of the wealthy and powerful, by the wealthy and powerful and FOR the wealthy and powerful”. The political candidates are now almost secondary to the debate as these huge cash machines blast away on the airwaves and in the mail. Can anyone honestly say that the creation of these huge super Pac’s has enlightened our debate and help focus candidates on a discussion of true problems and real solutions of our countries pressing problems? Not with a straight face you can’t.

However, once again the brilliance of our founding fathers gave us a way to fix it. A constitutional amendment while not easy or quick is the clearest and most perment way to reset the scales that the court supreme court majority has so tilted out of balance. The best vehicle to do that is the “People’s Rights Amendment”. This amendment has the goal of making clear that the words “people” and “person” in our constitution mean just that, human beings, living breathing people. It would also clarify the authority of the Congress and states to regulate corporations and corporate entities.

A recent Hart Research survey of registered voters found that a whopping 79% of Americans support passage of an amendment to overturn this decision and clarify the seeming clear distinction between people and corporations.

Luckily here in Massachusetts we have a leader in the effort to fix this awful mistake by the Supreme Court. Congressman Jim McGovern in November of last year introduced a Constitutional Amendment called the “The People’s Rights Amendment” which would allow the American people to be restored to their rightful place as the focus of our democracy. Congressman McGovern and supporters of his amendment know that our democracy will not be healthy and able to meet the huge challenges we face if our political system is allowed to be manipulated for narrow special interests. Our campaigns should be national discussions and debates about our countries priorities, values and future and not an auction where everything is up for the highest bidder while our national problems go unaddressed.

Benjamin Franklin was asked by a lady at the end of the constitutional convention in 1787 “Dr. Franklin what have we got a Monarchy or a Republic?” “A Republic if you can keep it” was his answer. That remains he question before us.