Mathews say that corporate personhood is not in the Constitution
Move to Amend is a coalition of hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of individuals committed to social and economic justice, ending corporate rule, and building a vibrant democracy that is genuinely accountable to the people, not corporate interests. This coalition was formed in 2009 and is a non-partisan, broad coalition of organizations and individuals, who share common values, working together to end corporate personhood and demand real democracy, according to the website movetoamend.org.
They are calling for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to unequivocally state that inalienable rights belong to human beings only, and that money is not a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment and can be regulated in political campaigns.
If successful, the 28th amendment would void corporate personhood, which we have seen in action recently with companies denying their female employees health coverage for birth control based on the religious beliefs of the… corporation? Or, how about the Indiana pizza company that denied it’s gay citizens the right to purchase pizzas to be served at their wedding based on the religious beliefs of the… corporation?
Wait just a minute. Even if corporations were people, as the law currently states they are, what happened to the separation of church and state? Why should an employer be allowed to deny a person something they legally have the right to based on the federal law? Isn’t discrimination based on age, race, gender, and sexual preference illegal?
Additionally, if this amendment successfully makes it into law, it would eliminate the ability of wealthy corporate special interest money to buy American elections and politics, according to Peter Mathews, author of Dollar Democracy, professor at Cypress College, and political commentator. This amendment reads that money is not free speech, making federal, state, and local governments regulate, limit, or prohibit contributions and expenditures, to ensure that all citizens, regardless of their economic status, have access to the political process, and that no person gains, as a result of their money, substantially more access or ability to influence in any way the election of any candidate for public office or any ballot measure, Mathews writes.
Mathews speaks often about the topic in his classes, in his book, and when he appears as a speaker, and encourages people to find out what Move to Amend is about and to contact their elected officials and demand they support this cause because the disparity between the elites and the 99 percent grows dangerously larger every day.
To get involved in this cause, there is a petition that people can sign that can be found here: http://movetoamend.nationbuilder.com/petition. The goal, according the site, is 500,000 signatures, and the cause has already gotten the support and signatures from over 389,000 Americans.
