HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-2012-021 Resolution Supporting An Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to Clarify That Corporations Are Not Persons'~~ r~~'r~-~,~~
ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ~--z1 '" ~~''
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RESOLUTION SUPPORTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION TO CLARIFY
THAT CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PERSONS
Whereas, government of, by, and for the people has long been a cherished American value, and the
people's fundamental and inalienable right to self-govern and thereby secure rights to life, liberty,
property, and the pursuit of happiness is guaranteed in the US Constitution and the Declaration of
Independence, and;
Whereas, persons are rightfully recognized as human beings whose essential needs include clean
air, clean water, safe and secure food, and;
Whereas, corporations are entirely human-made legal fictions created by express permission of the
people and our government, and;
Whereas, corporations can exist in perpetuity, can exist simultaneously in many nations at once,
and exist solely through the legal charter imposed by the government, and;
Whereas, corporations are not mentioned in the Constitution, and;
Whereas, corporations are not and have never been human beings, and therefore are rightfully
subservient to human beings and governments as our legal creations, and;
Whereas, interpretation of the US Constitution by the Supreme Court has endowed corporations
with Constitutional protections intended only for persons, and;
Whereas, free and fair elections are essential to democracy and effective self-governance, and;
Whereas, unregulated and excessive expenditures by corporations can pervert the election process;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Orange County Board of Commissioners commends to
our elected Federal representatives and asks that they support the efforts being made on behalf of
the people of the United States to amend our United States Constitution to establish that:
1. Corporations are not persons and are not entitled to the rights afforded to people by the
Constitution.
2. Contributions by corporations and other business entities to political parties, candidates,
and organizations for the purpose of influencing the outcomes of federal, state, and local
elections may be regulated.
Be it further resolved that the Orange County Board of Commissioners calls on other communities
and jurisdictions to join with us in this action by passing similar Resolutions.
This the 215Y day of February, 2012.
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Bernadette Pelissier, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners