Corporate Persons

The Constitution for the United States of America provides for the right of Free Speech to all persons.  Yea.  The First Amendment is an inalienable right, the right to speak or not to speak, depending upon one’s convictions and beliefs.  The First Amendment is rightly applied to the democratic concept of persons supporting candidates for elective public offices within the government, by not only voicing their support, but also providing the financial wherewithal to aid the candidate in voicing their jointly-held opinions.  So far, so good.   

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court of the United States (early in the Republic’s history) interpreted the word person to include corporations, and thereby provided to corporations the same guarantees of free speech (and the other privileges of the Bill of Rights) as enjoyed by living sentient human beings -- including  the right to influence politics by funding political happenings.   

The total irrationality of including fictional entities (such as corporations) in the definition of persons is a violation not only of logic, grammar, or constitutional intent, but one which complied with the hidden political agendas of then, and is currently undermining the constitution as the services and votes of more and more politicians are bought by corporations as a means of bolstering their bottom line.  

Note that a person, a living sentient being, is required in courts of law to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  Corporations, on the other hand, are required only to tell the truth, and nothing but the truth.  Particularly noteworthy is the fact that corporations are not required to tell the whole truth.  The latter actually makes sense, for if a company was required to tell prospective customers of a better offer by their competitor, or to divulge secrets or other intellectual property, the company would not be in business for very long.   

But the fact corporations and companies do not have to tell the whole truth -- when individuals do -- implies that corporations should not have First Amendment, free speech and political donation rights.  Note very specifically that corporations can have a hidden agenda and cannot be forced in a court of law to divulge that agenda.  Even more importantly is the fact that corporations have limited liability -- when individuals don’t.  What this means is that a person has unlimited liability, i.e. they can lose their fortunes and homes, their freedoms, even their lives for actions they have committed.  Corporations, on the other hand, have limited liability, and can only be fined.  No one from a Corporation ever need face jail time, even for the most heinous of crimes.  

The limited liability of corporations includes what is known as the corporate veil.  This veil is not strictly about secrecy, but is in fact a shield of the individuals, the living sentient beings who are directing the corporation (generally the board of directors).  These people can commit all sort of questionable or criminal acts, and yet be shielded from taking any form of personal responsibility.  One might note, for example, that in the Erin Brokervich story (e.g., the movie starring Julia Roberts), the corporation was ultimately forced to settle for millions upon millions of dollars, but there was no hint that any corporate individual did any jailtime. The company ponied up, but the people who made the decisions on behalf of the company never had to take any responsibility for their actions.  

Corporate Politics         Transnational Corporations         Corporate Rule

Forward to:  

Corporate State          Capitalism         Work Ethic         Success

American Foreign Policy         Globalism, Neo-Tribalism and False Reality

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