#citizens unitied

On Political Corruption – Sarah Chayes

No one likes talking about the corruption in OUR system, yet it is present and it is a festering problem that threatens the social fabric we all depend on.   “Elections boil down to conflicts within the business community.” ( T. Ferguson) When you add together the Reagan deregulations, the Clinton deregulations, the Bush deregulations with Citizens United allowing unlimited, unidentified…

The hubbub created by Washington insiders and political operatives around SJR 19 was little more than a sideshow to divert our attention, before an election, from the appalling records of both major parties on economic, environmental, and social justice issues.

"We the people" have seen our human rights shrink, along with dwindling economic opportunities and environmental desecration, while "corporate personhood" and "money as speech" have flourished under both party’s leadership.

Help Move to Amend build an independent grassroots democracy movement! Please spread the word and ask your friends to join Move to Amend.

SJR 19 failed to receive the necessary 60 votes in the Senate yesterday. It was never the magic pill to right the wrongs wrought on our Democratic Republic. The bill did not address the root of the rot infecting our democracy: Corporate Personhood.

There was a silver lining for the Democrats, who score a win (even though the bill was destined to fail) by associating their Party with campaign finance reform — right before an election.

Help Move to Amend build an independent grassroots democracy movement! Share this link by email and social media.

Our democracy is in crisis; SJR 19 and the proposal to overturn Citizens United merely addressed a symptom of our diseased democracy, but left the cause of the disease — large corporations wielding Constitutional rights — untreated.

Help Move to Amend pass the We the People Amendment! Share this link with everyone you know!

Move to Amend is the only grassroots organization building a real amendment movement in all 50 states to pass an amendment that actually solves our root problems by ending corporate Constitutional rights and money as speech.

What do you believe in? I don’t mean the kind of Santa–Cubs miracle–latest non-profit crap.But truly something you believe is right, with your heart, with fire. What would you stand up for? Take to the streets for?

Now imagine that you are arrested for those beliefs. Pepper-sprayed.  Beaten.

How do NYU MBAs view Occupy Wall Street? As a new student at Stern I’ve been surprised at the categorical acknowledgement by my peers of how bankrupt our country is both economically and politically.

That said, acknowledgement hasn’t translated into action.  We are apathetic, disinterested, and tired.  We focus on what we can control & influence: our careers.  But, we are also victims of cognitive dissonance — the corporations we hope to one day lead are the very ones extending the money-lined handshakes eroding our country.

These companies are motivated. They are winning. The names change, but for each issue (e.g. fracking, copyright, bailouts) they have an asymmetric stake in the outcome, says Charles Hugh Smith of oftwominds. For each special interest, it means massive rewards – rewards worth fighting and paying for.  Meanwhile, the disenfranchised individual voter endures a thousand paper cuts. The private market for government influence is thriving.

Occupy Wall Street threatens this paradigm by showing that the people can still fight.  They are not fighting for one small reform, they are fighting to change everything. In this battle, the stakes are balanced. This is not a one-sided battle, and the other side doesn’t like a fair fight.

We are at an important crossroads. The injustices perpetrated against peaceful Occupy Wall Street demonstrators (whether you support the movement or not) exemplify the systematic rape of our personal freedoms — freedoms that have been assaulted for a decade under the banner of security and order.  At the same time that our constitutional rights and power as a citizenry are being stripped from us, corporations with their “free speech” money are exacting more influence than ever.  The hypocrisy that corporate rights are now more revered and protected in this country than human rights, should not be lost on any of us.

This is not matter of party, both Democrats and Republicans are addicted to the money teat.  This is a matter of democracy at its most fundamental level.

We as MBAs consider ourselves leaders, now is the time to lead. Here’s how to get started:

Sign: Put your signature on this petition for an amendment to end corporate money in politics (then get everyone you know to do the same).

Vote: Refuse to vote for or give money to any candidate (of any party) that does not put campaign finance and corruption as their first priority.

Move: Transfer your money to a local bank or credit union (Apple Bank is a good option in NYC).

Read: Educate yourself by seeking out information from credible sources (e.g.  Business Insider, Naked Capitalism, oftwominds, and Republic Lost by Lawrence Lessig).

Lead: If you have any way to influence your own company’s lobbying, drive them to support getting money out of politics, not short sighted giveaways/tax breaks.