Occupy the Courts material

Doug Todd is a full-time state employee who is involved with the Central Ohio Green Education Fund as well as Move to Amend Central Ohio.

Todd said giving corporations the rights of natural persons is the result of a long string of Supreme Court decisions going back to the 19th Century.

"The Citizens United Supreme Court decision of two years ago was the straw that broke the camel's back, because it grants corporations unlimited power to influence elections... It opens the floodgate to money in elections. But even before Citizens United, there was already too much money in elections."

The Citizens United ruling has made it easier for super PACs to spend money on media.

"In other words, what they're doing is buying advertising spots. Back to the Media Reform Caucus we had back in 2004, one of the big issues there was that local stations are not covering local politics anymore. A local politician doesn't get on the airwaves unless they're buying advertising because the local media---newspapers sometimes cover it, the Dispatch is better than most, believe it or not. But local TV and radio stations do not cover local elections anymore, or they do very little of it."

Getting air time requires a lot of money. Todd said some politicians complain they have to spend a very large percentage of their time raising money. But he said big corporations are happy with this arrangement.

" I can't remember who made the quote but some business person said the highest return on investment is the money spent on campaigns, because you can change laws in your favor. These guys are spending the money and they get what they want. The media organizations are in business to make money. Local media does well during political campaigns. That their profitable season because everybody has to buy ads, even though the stations are supposed to be operating in the public interest."


Bob Krasen works with Move to Amend in Columbus.

“The word is out to a pretty good number of organization, including Occupy, to come and participate in this. Nobody really knows how many are going to come, but we’re hoping for a crowd of a couple hundred people.”

He said Move to Amend has been established in across the US with affiliate groups in each state.

Occupy the Courts takes place on third anniversary of the US Supreme Court's ruling in the Citizens United V. the Federal Elections Commission case.

“It’s a demonstration against the Citizens United decision but you might say it’s a celebration of what it is we’re trying to accomplish. A demonstration is not necessarily just an anti-thing. It can be a celebration of coming together to try to do something,” Krasen said.

He said Move to Amend has crafted language that makes its amendment to the US Constitution the best among as many as seven other proposals.

“Some of them will not really exclude corporations from participating in the political system and will continue to allow corporate money to filter thru to all sorts of things. I think the wording of the constitutional amendment that Move to Amend is doing really cuts thru those loop holes and is pretty straight forward about what they (corporations) are and are not, and allows local and state entities to legislate against what level anybody can participate in elections.”

Some US cities and states are making efforts to abolish corporate personhood. For a list visit http://movetoamend.org/resolutions-map

As for Columbus, "I’ve tried to approach Andy Ginther about that, but they’re in the middle of budget hearings, so I haven’t heard back from him,” said Krasen.

Krasen said the proposed Constitutional amendment is not against corporations, per se.

“Move to Amend has essentially said ‘we like what corporations do---the goods and services that they provide; that’s valuable to us and to the American people, and we’re not opposed to that at all.’"

Krasen said he and fellow activists oppose corporations in so far as they use their money to drown out the voice of ordinary Americans by funding campaigns and lobbying for bills.

“Right now, if a candidate will oppose something that a corporation wants, they can flood his district or his area with tons of money to prevent him from getting elected. That’s the kind of thing we want to stop.”


He suggests Paul Krugman’s blog

“He (Krugman) is on the side of Occupy and has said Republican proposals on economics are wrong and will be the undoing of the country.”

Krasen also recommends Reader Supported News.


Michael Greenman is _____________

"Most of the major issues today that are a detriment to society, to quality of life, to freedom, to democracy, to the environment, and to education, come back sooner or later to corporate influence or corporate money."

Krasen said our political system is at an impasse.

"There is no way for our elected representatives to go against the significant wishes of the corporate will."

He said Congresspersons have to spend a great deal of their time every day getting money to get reelected.

" A lot of the money comes from Super PACs or wealthy individuals. Nobody gives anything. There is always the expectation---even if it isn't stated or specified---that there will be quid pro quo for donations," said Greenman.

He said as a result, a small percentage of the population has a lot of say over how our country is run.

"In today's environment, with Citizens United, as we just saw, interestingly enough, within the Republican Party, enormous expenditure of money by a wealthy person on behalf of Newt Gingrich against Mitt Romney. I've heard numbers of $5 million for a 29 min television piece...It's not you and me or other individuals or even unions that have the level of money available to do that."