Forum Post: Practical perspective
Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 4, 2011, 6:18 a.m. EST by FEDup
(2)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Having read both your initial declaration and your demands- I am moved by the articulation- ( unifying a free thinking body of people has always been a major challenge for movement ) that being said- I think it would be helpful if this declaration and it's subsequent docs- were more readily accessible and prevalent on your website!
Also.. As I read somewhere that the body would like to put together a list of the 50 most alienating corporate vs human offences... Maybe...How many law students could put in some time researching the "books"'and weeding through the legal jargon that leaves most of the American people scratching their heads- to find some of the more egregious cases where corporations profited over people (most probably with loss of life inflicted or as a direct result of negligence) These cases have always been great fodder for hollywood cinema- for their obvious appeal in mass America) these are stories american's need to be reminded of between the two jobs they are working to pay the bills!
That would REALLY help a great deal. 50 THINGS AMERICA'S MOST LOVED CORPORATIONS HAVE DONE THAT HURT AMERICANS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. It should probably be pretty short and to the point. The name of the corporation, a one sentence summary of the offense and then a paragraph of detail (no more than 5 or 6 sentences). Could contain links if people want to learn more but the links need to be to mainstream media articles for the most part so middle America trusts it. (I realize that's a compromise for some but compromise can get you places.
I think at the bottom, we could have something similar to this list (in improved format) to help channel the energy this list of 50 generates into positive action -- http://occupywallst.org/forum/proposed-list-of-demands-please-help-editadd-so-th/
Corporate Free Speech There needs to be better corporate representation. Money is speech. Every individual, even individual stockholders, "ownership," has a right to free speech. Free speech means no one can force or prevent an individual's speech. Ownership has the right to direct the corporation's speech and political contributions. Majority control of contributions may violate an individual's free speech. Corporate management can speech for the corporation, but ownership needs to authorize that speech. No speech or money spent on political contributions may be made without ownership authorization and such contributions must be taken from the individual's dividends. No dividends means there is no allowance for contributions. Corporate management must poll the ownership to determine the amount and placement of all individual stockholder directed contributions. The assignment of all corporate contributions must be made public so that ownership can verify the correct placement of their contributions. Management can not make contributions on the behalf of nonresponsive ownership and thus can only make contributions for which they have been directly authorized.
Money is speech. Corporations are people, because people get the money. Free speech means people are not forced to pay for someone else's speech. Corporations may not force to pay or deny dividends, to a person who does not approve of money spent on speech. Corporations may only spend money on speech that is taken, by approval, from the people who get the money. Every person who gets money, from the corporation, must approve the money spent on speech, in order to protect the right to free speech. Since the money spent on speech is identifiable with a person then that money is subject to caps associated with that person and must be reported. Also, tax consequences flow, to each person, for tax exempt contributions. If the corporation feels that the cost of polling and reporting the money spent on speech is prohibitive, then the corporation is prohibited from spending on speech. Corporations spend money on product ads and any political placement in a product ad must have unanimous consent of ownership.