A week or so ago, Darryl Smith wrote that he is for “freedom of speech for all.” I have to ask; “all what?” I think people, would be a good answer.
I appreciate that he supports union”s rights even if he doesn”t usually agree with them, especially since unions are among the most strictly-regulated entities of all.
So let me clarify something, MoveToAmend”s Constitutional Amendment would treat all artificial entities equally: corporations and unions alike; that is that they are granted, by the state, the privileges and responsibilities necessary to carry out the legitimate purpose of their activities.
This is how it had always been until the Citizen”s United decision granted artificial entities, such as corporations, PACs and unions the inalienable rights that our Constitution says are granted to people by their creator. While not a new doctrine it had never gone to that extreme and that it could be so construed, necessitates amending the Constitution.
Amending the constitution to say that only people possess these inalienable rights, does not prevent people from banding together, pooling their resources and speaking as one, under the auspices of an organization for that purpose.
That”s how its been and should always be, but if the individual”s voice is so obscured by the domination of a privileged elite and massive influxes of cash, then our concept of a government of, by and for “The People,” shall forever be a myth and we may as well strike the words “democratic representation” from our civics lessons.
Tim Williams
Clearlake
