Human Rights are for Humans
Occupy Prescott is asking the Prescott City Council to adopt a resolution urging a constitutional amendment declaring that a corporation is not a person, that only humans have human rights, and that money is not free speech. As a part of raising awareness of this issue and building support, we are collecting community endorsements from organizations and local businesses, as well as collecting signatures from citizens with our petition drive. To find out how you can support our petition drive and add your voice to the many calling for reasonable rules applied to corporations, please write to info@occupyprescott.org
For information on the resolution, the resolution itself, and some background information on the issue see the Press Packet PDF here.
Some additional information on the issue:
* 80% oppose unlimited money in campaigns, with both Democrats and Republicans agreeing in the 75-85% range.
ABC/Wash Post poll Feb 2010.
* A coalition of small business groups finds they overwhelmingly think the Citizens United decision is bad for small business.
American Small Business Council, Jan, 2012.
* The question of whether corporations should have rights like a person fails by a difference of 31%.
Center for American Progress, Jan, 2012.
* “…79% of Americans support passage of an amendment to overturn the decision and make clear that corporations do not have the same rights as people…”.
Hart Research Associates, Jan, 2011.
* Approximately 100 communities have already adopted such resolutions, and groups from a California union to a Florida Patriots group are promoting similar resolutions.
* Senator John McCain called the Citizens United decision an outrage.
* In the Alabama & Mississippi primaries over 90% of the ads were not run by the candidates, but by Super PACs.
Bloomberg News 3/13
Well over half the money in Super PACs come from donors who gave $1/2 million or more.
Huffington Post 3/14
Just one billionaire has already given $18 million to Super PACs and plans to give $36 million total during the election.
Wall Street Journal 3/22
One quarter of PAC money in the primaries came from just 5 donors. Over half of it came from just 25 donors.
Huffington Post 2/22