June 10, 2012

Let’s Wash That Corporate Cash Right Out of Our Politics

City Council Should Condemn the Corporate State; Legislators Must Take Big Biz Out of the Constitution

By Stan Shapiro

Are you sick and tired of the corporate shills coming into your home on that TV box day after day selling their distorted view of government along with their soap? Well the Supreme Court says too bad about that: these big businesses are just exercising their constitutional rights. It may be true that you can scour your constitution from top to bottom without ever seeing the word corporation, but you see, wherever it says “people”, the Supreme Wordsmiths have seen the word corporation embedded. That’s why they’re Supreme, you know.

Well, Americans are rising up. No one said it would be easy to amend the Constitution, and it’s not, but we’re going to insist that the politicians do it. Here in Philly there are two campaigns telling the pols to stand up on their back two and say plainly we’re not gonna take it anymore.

First, Public Citizen has an online petition to City Council demanding that it pass a resolution supporting a constitutional amendment to rid our politics of corporate cash. Over a 1300 have already signed up. You can add your name to the list by going here.

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We need a Constitutional Amendment to Take Corporate Cash Out of Politics

Second, MoveOn is petitioning the state and federal legislators who ultimately have to do the actual passing part. (Council can only urge them to do so - good but not sufficient.) And on June 21st, MoveOn and NN members will be presenting the petition to one of our legislators. Time and date are to be determined, but stay tuned; we’ll want you to be with us.

In addition to acting on these petitions we need to talk to our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and other community members on why taking on corporate power is central to everything else we do. So on June 20, NN and MoveOn will be having a teach-in on corporate power and how to overcome it. We’ll be gathering at Fergie’s Pub, 1214 Sansom. We’ll begin the event at 5:30 by breaking bread (and imbibing a little beer) with each other. Then at 6:15 we’ll hear from a group of local NN members who’ve prepared a compelling presentation on why we have to fight the corporate state NOW. You’ll leave both refreshed and revived seeing right in front of your eyes that you’re not alone in this battle.

So please sign our petitions. Then join us on June 20, schmooze a little with like-minded folks, and become part of what’s coming next. With your help, we’re not going to stop until we win this one, and take our country back.

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