REPUBLICANS PLAY RUSSIAN POLITICS WITH AMERICAN DEMOCRACY
Democracy, You're In Danger, Girl!
Facts Over Fear
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on not understanding it. — Upton Sinclair
How Understanding What a Corporation Actually Is Can Help Restore Democracy
Dave Johnson, the author of DemocracyandCommunity.org, explains what a corporation is and, more importantly, what it's not and why it matters to Democracy.
Corporations have become powerful entities, and it is critical to understand their role in society. They should not be seen as a source of moral authority but rather as a legal entity governed by rules and regulations. Corporations must be regulated and monitored to prevent abuse of power.
Governments and individuals are responsible for holding corporations accountable and ensuring they act in the highest interest of all citizens.
What is a corporation?
A corporation is a contract. It is a legal agreement enabled by our (“We, the People”) government. That’s it.
A corporation is not a person. It is a contract. A corporation is not a living, breathing person — but a contract that can give you a paper cut but not someone who can offer you a bandaid.
Corporations are not sentient entities. Contracts don’t “think” or “want” or “need” or say” or “care” or “do” anything. Neither does a will, nor a lease, nor a confidentiality agreement. Corporations also can’t be “greedy” or “criminal” or “good” or “altruistic.” But people can.
When we say these things about corporations we are reinforcing misunderstanding of what a corporation is. This helps the executives running corporations get away with all kind of bad acts.
The key takeaway from this article for me was how confusing what a corporation is and isn't — "helps executives running corporations get away with all kinds of bad acts."
Due to the fact that people, not corporations, make decisions, Shell executives are being held personally responsible for the results.
Shell’s executives are being sued personally for allegedly failing to manage climate-related risks adequately, a first-of-its-kind suit that could have implications for how other companies aspire to reduce emissions.
Corporations must be held legally accountable for the behavior of those who make the decisions.
The Cause Becomes Clear When We Follow the Money.
The corruption of corporations is causing us to lose our democratic rights while we are then forced to pay the taxes corporations lobby against. The top 1% of Americans spend the least amount on taxes.
School teachers and firefighters pay more taxes than billionaires.
We, The People, must understand how Democracy works to save Democracy. As long as we're confused and distracted by the disinformation— We, The People, will always lose.
Johnson further explains about corporations;
There is a need to re-educate the public about democratic self-government, its meaning, its benefits, its implications and its responsibilities. We need to “rebrand” government as the means for We the People to collectively obtain things we want and need — to make our lives better.
Restoring public understanding of democracy brings public empowerment.
Too often, we mistakenly credit CEOs for being wise, innovative leaders who achieved great wealth and status because of their business acumen and skills.
Elon Musk and his skills (or lack thereof) with Twitter prove great wealth does NOT equal excellent leadership skills — which is what it takes to run a company, not social status.
Regardless of how you feel about Elon personally, the fact that he has cut the value of Twitter in half in a year speaks directly to his business insight. An addicted gamer with autism and daddy issues doesn't have what it takes to run a social media company.
Democracy is the People’s business — not open for corporate profit.
Because we're busy people who are inherently good at heart, we too often assume others are too. That's especially not true of a corporation. A corporation is not a person, so it's not inherently good, bad, or godlike.
That's How BIG BUSINESS Wants It!
Godlike qualities make them unquestionable.
CEOs have no godlike quality, and the Rule of Law should apply equally.
No Matter the Issue — the Problem is Corporations and Politicians are No Longer Accountable to The People
- Climate Crisis
- Women's Rights
- Civil Rights
- Reproductive Rights
- Worker's Rights
- LGBTQ+ Equality
- Common sense gun legislation
- Clean water
- Homelessness
EVERY poorly addressed issue WE face can be traced to human beings behind a corporation. Corporate CEOs have left their lanes. They are no longer providing products or services; now, corporations are focused on profit and power, interfering in our elections, deciding our Rights, and causing the deaths of Americans while avoiding the majority of taxes and consequences.
With the change in campaign finance law from the 2010 Citizens United Case, corporations have the rights of personhood but not the responsibility. It is impossible to hold them criminally responsible — even when they commit crimes against us, The People.
Corporations Have Left Their Lane
Corporations like Wal-Mart, AT&T, and Pfizer are putting their enormous resources behind deciding our politics — local, state, and Federal. Corporations do not have state and country boundaries — most have global interests and assets. These corporations will always do what's in the corporation's best interest — not what is in American Democracy's best interest.
Popular Information has included incredible insights into the amount of money and power behind the Republican-backed corporations.
Every voter is a consumer, but not every consumer is a voter.
Public trust is at an all-time low. Our country has never been more divided. It's not because we're so different. Our differences make us strong as Americans. Instead, corporations exploit those differences through marketing manipulation to keep us divided to manipulate us more easily and avoid accountability.
Keeping us divided keeps them in power.
Is the Death Penalty a Corporate Issue or a Political Issue?
Understanding and identifying the difference between a corporate issue and a political issue is the cornerstone of the corporate problem.
Pharmaceutical companies increasingly have barred executioners from using their drugs, saying they were meant to save lives. Source
Idaho will become the fifth state to authorize the firing squad as a method of execution and may become the first state to mandatorily impose it on a death row prisoner since 1976. Idaho’s Governor Brad Little signed HB 186 into law on March 24, 2023, and it goes into effect on July 1
A pharmaceutical corporation has decided who can and cannot be executed. The state of Idaho then authorized the firing squad as an alternative to withholding drugs. Where does the Will of the Voter figure into that equation?
Idaho becomes one of the most extreme anti-abortion states with law restricting travel for abortions.
So then, is the Abortion Issue a Corporate or Political Issue?
The History of Abortion by Alyssa Milano explains that women's bodily autonomy is very much a corporate issue.
It is also crucial to saving Democracy because it examines the criminalization of the word and the corporate power behind it.
Please watch and share this video — knowledge is power. Facts over Fear
Corporations aren't people, so they aren't intrinsically good, bad, or godlike. A corporation should not be considered a moral authority regardless of its stock market value.
Corporate financial interests directly threaten women's rights. That's a big topic in itself. However, the correlation between corporate anti-abortion promotion and corporate overreach destroying our Democracy goes straight to the heart of the issue.
FACTS OVER FEAR
No word on the planet is more weaponized, or that causes more division than abortion. A focus on abortion reinforces the political divisions in our country and propagates anti-democratic sentiment, whereas birth control and abortion actually save women and babies.
The anti-abortion business of "saving babies" doesn't save babies. It endangers women, destroys families, and makes millions for churches, non-profits, and politicians but rarely helps make a difference in the life of women and children. Anti-abortion is a huge fund-raising gimmick.
Why Do They Lie?
It's always about money and power.
That's not Jesus; that's corporate corruption.
During the Trump Presidency, we watched from the sidelines as corporations were prioritized with legislation and tax breaks. The separation between church and state is being eroded, and it is NOT to "save the people." It's to increase the wealth of the wealthy and the power of the powerful.
For example, lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry and health insurance companies are now in key posts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; a lobbyist for the construction industry who fought wage and worker safety standards now works for the U.S. Department of Labor; a lobbyist for the extractive resources industry is now at the U.S. Department of Energy; and a for-profit college lobbyist who sought to weaken protections for students worked at the U.S. Department of Education.
The above report was published during the Trump presidency, reporting history's most significant abuse of public trust and corporate power.
We, The People, will continue to pay for the corporate abuse committed by the Trump administration and Republican Party during the Trump presidency through the upcoming fight over the debt ceiling.
Corporate-funded attacks on democracy are backed by politicians and exploited by Fox News. Defending democracy requires stopping corporate funds that corrupt the system of, by, and for the people.
Defending Democracy requires clear enemy identification. We must recognize that Democracy's enemies seek to undermine citizens' rights and the rule of law. We must be prepared to confront these enemies with courage and determination and ensure our Democracy's security and justice.
Rep. Jayapal intends to remove corporations from the political process and help to restore democracy through a constitutional amendment.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) is introducing an amendment to the Constitution that would end corporate personhood, reverse Citizens United, put power back into the hands of people, and make it clear that money does not equal speech.@RepJayapal
The right for Americans to vote on critical issues is how we exercise our Democracy, not the decisions of corporate CEOs.
Informed individuals can protect their rights better. When enough of us unite, we can become the superpower we deserve, able to protect our planet and our rights from corporate power and corruption.
Please join me, and together, We are the Guardrails of Democracy. #WeAreTheGuardrails