Forum Post: Saving American Democracy Amendment To The Constitution of the United States - Please Sign the Petition and Keep Protesting!!! Don't give up hope. Washington Hears Us!
Posted 12 years ago on Dec. 13, 2011, 2:54 a.m. EST by kdavis
(9)
from Madison, AL
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders & Florida Congressman Ted Deutch have proposed SAVING AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES which will overturn Citizens United vs. The Federal Elections Commission passed by the United States Supreme Court and permanently put an end to all corporate campaign spending and thus put an end to corporate control of our elections! The Amendment clarifies that for-profit Corporations are NOT people and excludes them from rights given to natural persons.
The Amendment can be read at the following link: http://sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Saving-American-Democracy.pdf
FAQ's about the Amendment can be read at the following two links: http://sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/news/?id=7afc6d2c-7c24-4cb6-80c3-74cdf7e383a3 http://sanders.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Constitutional-Amendment-FAQs.pdf
Senator Sander's Petition NEEDS EVERYONE'S signature. It can be found here: http://sanders.senate.gov/petition/?uid=f1c2660f-54b9-4193-86a4-ec2c39342c6c
Here's the video from CNN about the Amendment: http://www.cnn.com/video/standard.html#/video/bestoftv/2011/12/12/tsr-sanders-corps-not-people-mpg.cnn?iref=allsearch
Here it is on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9qZZVqSQdo
The American people's voices ARE being Heard! There are still good people in Washington who are listening to the American People. KEEP PROTESTING, KEEP PROTESTING, KEEP PROTESTING! Do Not Stop. It's working!!!
Sign Senator Sander's Petition and let's get this Amendment passed to take back our democracy, our country, and our elections. Let's finally put an end to the corporate corruption which has hijacked our beautiful country!
Signed. This is good news, if it makes it through Congress...
It's also #2 on the List Of Grievances in the 99% Declaration, if it doesn't make it through this congress.
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
This Supreme Court decision is the basis of OWS movement in protest. By allowing corporations to give unlimited money to SuperPACS, foreign nationals who control some US corporations can now "purchase" our elections along with the Wall Street corporations by purchasing advertisement for whatever candidate or candidates they choose to endorse with unlimited restrictions on expenditures. If one views the expenditure amounts of lobbing been done by corporations in Washington, these expenditures can rule the airwaves and main stream media directly overly influencing elections through purchasing airtime which results in which candidates are heard and which are not. The reasons for OWS is because of corporate behavior and the 1% making undue influenced decisions on the part of all Americans. The public and media want a united message behind OWS or OWS will be dismissed as is being done (whether true or not - that is main street's opinion and that of the corporations).
Unifying against the "personhood" of corporations as it pertains to political influence should be one unifying theme that resonates not only with OWS which it directly effects. These corporations are ran by the 1%. All American's lives and futures are affected by the political favors and loopholes the Supreme Court gave to corporations in its worst decision burdening the American people.
This is exactly what 99% of Americans want. Let's end the "personhood" of corporations and finally put an end to corporate corruption of our elections! You are right, and the public and media will dismiss this movement unless we give them a unifying theme and a united message. Please help me get the word out. Let's go beyond democrat or republican party divisions and differences. We are Americans FIRST. Let's make History and end this corruption. This is our message...Pass The Saving American Democracy Amendment To The Constitution of the United States!
YES WE CAN (no pun intended) get this through Congress! This is it. This is what we are fighting for! OWS is making HISTORY!!! It doesn't matter whether you are democrat or republican. It doesn't matter if you are OWS or Tea Party. It doesn't matter what your race or religion is. All that matters is that we are Americans, this is OUR COUNTRY and our voices should be heard. This will not happen as long as multinational corporations are allowed to continue to control our elections. If this does not stop, we will eventually lose all of our freedoms. I'm just a single mom with 3 kids who refuses to give up hope for my country. America can still be great because united we stand...we are great people. Don't give up hope, and don't let the media get you down. Let's unify together. Please join me, help me get the word out, send the above links to everyone you know, write your congress and senators, keep protesting, and SIGN THIS PETITION!
Are you familiar with the 1st Amendment right to "petition the government for a redress of grievances" and the working group on The 99% Declaration that is organizing the National General Assembly?
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/
Yes I'm familiar with the 1st Amendment, but I am new on here and still reading and learning. I am not familiar with the 99% Declaration that is organizing the National General Assembly; however, I will read over the information on the website tonight. From what all I have read on the forums so far, it seems that this Amendment will address one of the very core issues of OWS.
There's an interesting story behind the Working Group on The 99% Declaration let's just say it has 're-occupied' this website. Look forward to hearing your thoughts. Have a pleasant day.
I've spent a little more time reading on here as well as reading over the information on the website. I still have more to read and learn before I could firmly state my position, but so far, the problem I see is that the movement is spreading itself too thin and trying to cover too many issues for which many of the issues are very controversial and not everyone agrees. This in addition to some people's desire in the movement to create anarchy is giving the movement a negative image to the public. My personal opinion at this time is that there would be more success with the movement if it were to focus on ONE central theme that the majority of everyone in America can agree on which I believe is the removal of corporate corruption from our elections and that just happens to be what this proposed Amendment is trying to address. Then once the people have true representation in Washington without that corrupt influence the remainder of the issues can then be honestly debated. If it becomes impossible to remove the corporate corruption from both parties in Washington, only then could I personally support a new third party.
Fortunately the anarchist, consensus, direct democracy rhetoric is fading away. Although I find the topics interesting, they are somewhat distractive at this point. The List Of Grievances is only a Suggested list which the elected delegates finalize. theghostofthomasjefferson said there should just be the one issue of the corrupting influence of money in politics while gawdoftruth said it was a failure of imagination and effort to not have everything on the list and they both are right. Pulicus1 said what's on the list is irrelevant, it's the fact that the list exists that's important. That works for me because the list is the acid test for the government.
I grow more jaded every day about what the government will do for the people's concerns, especially with the recent sb1867 NDAA. To wait and hope that something as near and dear to politicians as corporate money will be banned by themselves is being very optimistic, and I'm a glass-is-half-full kind of person. The Amendments are underway and hopefully they will succeed but I'm supporting the NGA when they need it (now) because I don't see any downside risk to doing so. The NGA has the potential to wake the D/R's up to finding themselves between a rock and a hard place. Degrene describes it as a watchdog, with teeth. We could really put that dog to use next summer.
It doesn't become a question of supporting a 3rd party until about July 2013 after the government has had a reasonable amount of time to redress. There aren't going to be any 99r candidates in 2012.
BTW Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig is involved with the Declaration group, I hear he's one of leading experts on Constitutional law, especially ARTICLE V Conventions (or lack thereof!)
Hope this helps, thx
They're getting the new website up very soon
http://www.the99declaration.org/
My understanding is that the99declaration is a spin-off from OWS, and not what everyone participating in OWS wants. Is that correct?
It's an interesting story you can read on the about page here:
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/about-the-99-declaration-1
After a concerted effort, the working groups pages successfully 're-occupied' the NYCGA website a few days ago.
https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/about-the-99-declaration-1
That makes two amendment proposals to repeal 08-205 to abolish "personhood" to corporations. The first proposal was filed November 12,2001 by James "Jim" McGovern of Massachusetts and introduced as the "People Right's Movement H.J. Resolution 88", a proposal to limit the constitution's protections to the rights of natural persons, not corporations. Proposing an amendment to the constitution to the Constitution of the United States to clarify the authority of Congress and the United States to regulate corporations, limited liability companies or other corporate entities established by the laws of any state, the United States, or any foreign state, It has 10 co-sponsors so far and has been referred to the House Committe as of 12/02/2011. So that means that an amendment to abolish "corporate personhood" has been introduced both in the Senate and the House. Let's hope and pray that they both get pass both houses and be included in the ballots of the 2012 elections. I am signing both, and I hope everyone else does too!
My mistake, the first proposal filed November 12,2011, not 2001. Just last month by Jim McGovern of Mass.
Can't wait for Ron Lawl to come out with his doubletalk and say he opposes the amendment, but the states should allow it or some such BS.
I signed it awhile back
I just checked - it says it has 76,000 plus signatures
but the other day I saw it had over 140,000
what gives?
Yes I noticed that too.