Passed by New Hampshire Democratic Party in May, 2004
Editors’ Note: Introducing positions into any local or state political party’s platform is one effective tool for broadening awareness of important issues among politically active citizens. Here’s one example from New Hampshire. Related platforms and resolutions have been passed in Washington, Oklahoma, and Maine.
Resolution – Corporations
Whereas,
Interpretation of the US Constitution by federal judges to include corporations in the term “persons” has long enabled corporate directors, managers, agents and attorneys to act to nullify the fundamental and constitutional rights of human persons;
The illegitimate judicial and legislative designation of corporations as “persons” and the bestowal of constitutional power and authority upon corporations enables corporate directors, managers, agents and attorneys to sue municipal, state and federal governments, resulting in both corporate intimidations and frequent judicial nullifications of law that are contrary to the values and desires of the people; and
Said designation compels local, state and federal governments to recognize corporations as legitimate participants in the fundamental mechanisms of self-government (e.g., legislation, elections, education, regulation and administration, jurisprudence and public policy debate) and since corporations are legal aggregations of property and wealth, corporate participation in the mechanisms of self-governance overwhelms, overpowers, and essentially denies the participation of natural human beings;
Public officials, hence, enable corporate managers, directors, agents and attorneys to wield the federal and state constitutions – to levy the coercive force of law – against the people of the United States, despite the fact that history, tradition and state constitutions declare the sovereign people to be the sole source of governing authority throughout the nation.
Therefore, The New Hampshire Democratic Party declares its unwavering support that:
Corporations shall not be considered “persons” protected by the Constitution of the United States or by the Constitutions of the states that so declare; and
The rights of individual, natural persons shall be privileged over any and all rights that have been extended to artificial entities.
The New Hampshire Democratic Party pledges its good faith and labors to make this resolution a reality.