Keep the Republic
By Ben Cohen
Theres an old story about Ben Franklin and the founding of our country. In 1787, delegates met in private in Philadelphias Independence Hall to draft a new Constitution. Throughout the Constitutional Convention, citizens gathered anxiously around the hall awaiting the results. When Ben Franklin finally exited, a citizen asked, Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy? A republic, Franklin responded if you can keep it.
The idea is that we the people share a common duty and responsibility to manage our affairs and our resources. But the truth is, were at risk of losing our republic.
In a series of Supreme Court rulings, a radical group of activist justices perverted the Constitution by declaring that corporations have the same rights as people and that money is free speech. But corporations are not people. They are legal entities and economic tools designed to maximize profit. Corporations are excellent for the economy. But they should not have the power to create and dictate laws. Money is not speech, its property. And in politics, because of lax campaign finance and lobbying laws, money is used to buy access and power.
As a result of the Supreme Courts rulings, our representatives depend more and more on big dollar donors and less on voters. According to a recent study by professors at Princeton and Northwestern, our representatives are more responsive to wealthy people than average citizens. Our government resembles more of a plutocracy rule by the wealthy than a Constitutional republic.
Thats why I started the StampStampede.org. The First Amendment protects the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. The Stampede is a petition on steroids. Were stamping messages such as Corporations Are Not People Amend the Constitution on dollar bills in order to tap into the viral circulation of money and create a cumulative mass visual demonstration of support for a constitutional amendment that declares: Money is not speech; corporations are not people.
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http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/09/22/amend-the-constitution-to-declare-corporations-are-not-people?int=a41f09