Corporations Are Not People Survey

1. Did you know that corporations have the rights of personhood, but not the responsibilities of citizenship, and often use this to their advantage in ways that can be damaging to others?

Did you know that corporations have the rights of personhood, but not the responsibilities of citizenship, and often use this to their advantage in ways that can be damaging to others? Yes

Corporations do not vote; they do not have to. When a corporation lobbies a large sum of money for a specific political party it takes power away from the people, because the money is used to strongly support one side of the election. This influences people to change their decisions based upon the content that the corporations dictate. For example, in November of 2012 California’s Proposition 37 on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) was defeated by a forty-six million dollar ad campaign by Monsanto, a sustainable farming company. The bill would decide if GMO products would have to be labeled as such. The odds were against Monsanto until the company’s last minute campaign began. The campaign consisted of a bombardment of ads supporting and identifying the positive effects of GMOs. The people of California were constantly exposed to only the good side of GMOs right before the voting date, which caused many people to change their mind and vote coherently with Monsanto. This also works on a much larger scale in which the federal elections become more about who has more money, than who can sincerely win the votes of Americans.

2. Did you know that corporations often incur multiple criminal charges for their actions but dodge prosecution by abusing their money to corrupt cases and devoid medial attention?

Did you know that corporations often incur multiple criminal charges for their actions but dodge prosecution by abusing their money to corrupt cases and devoid medial attention? Yes

Mountaintop removal is perfect example of the savage behaviors of corporations; mountaintop removal destroys water, creates disease, poisons animals, creates toxic dust, and more. These contemptible acts would be considered a crime if a regular person caused these very same problems. But the huge amounts of corporate money ends up bailing out any jail time incurred from corporate actions. “If you filled twenty-five feet of stream…you could go to jail”(103). Yet: “Coal corporations have filled 2,500 miles of streams in Appalachia.” and have not been penalized for the abhorrent actions worthy of justice (103). Mountaintop removal has been described by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the “most destructive, irresponsible, and shortsighted form of extracting energy in the history of humanity” (103).

Citations: Clements, Jeffrey. "Corporations are not People". San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc, 2012.

3. Did you know that the only intention of most corporations is to make money?

Did you know that the only intention of most corporations is to make money? Yes

An example of this is the Hedge Fund Loophole; some corporations had found ways to claim the right to pay low capital gains tax at 15% rather than 35% like everyone else, supporting the idea that all corporations want is money.

4. Did you know corporations often use their money to alter elections and sponsor candidates or policies that in the long run will result in a higher profit margin for the corporation?

Did you know corporations often use their money to alter elections and sponsor candidates or policies that in the long run will result in a higher profit margin for the corporation? Yes

Going back to the Proposition 37 vote, Monsanto realized that if they were required to label all of their products as GMOs, they would lose lots of money. People like to eat things that they know are natural, and not genetically modified in any way. If Monsanto was required to label their products as GMOs they would not sell nearly as much food, and they would be forced to change the way they grow, or suffer the losses of having less business. Less money means less corporate power. Although it cost Monsanto forty-six million dollars to win the campaign, the corporation knows that they will (in the long run) have a larger profit.

5. Will you join the fight against corporate power, and help the movement to bring back power to the voters as individuals in the US?

Will you join the fight against corporate power, and help the movement to bring back power to the voters as individuals in the US? Yes

If you answered no, why not?

Action should be taken against corporations. The fight against corporations is growing, and more people every day are informed of the injustices committed by corporations. Already 2,000,000 regular people from the left and right wings have signed onto resolutions supporting the cause. Move to Amend, and Free Speech for People are both campaigning to reclaim democracy for the people and make a 28th amendment to the Constitution. 1,000 business leaders have signed on. Business for democracy, a sustainable business council dedicated to ending unrestricted campaign donations has been fighting for the cause. Martha Coakley, the Attorney General of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and other Attorneys General have signed on as well. Also, many citizens in general are all on board with the idea of abolishing the dangerous corporate power. A wave of defiance towards corporate rule is growing, along with waves of organizations supporting the cause. Supporting the individual citizens of the US is a necessity to prove that a government of the people can actually exist and succeed.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP:
Go to one of the following websites, to learn more, donate, or get involved:

http://www.freespeechforpeople.org/

https://movetoamend.org/

http://democracyisforpeople.org/

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