Public Discourse Statement: Corporate Takeover Corporations were first granted person-status in 1890 by the 14th Amendment &

the Supreme Court The intention was to protect the life, liberty & property of post-civil war slaves Corporations secured protection for themselves; Protecting the life, liberty & property of real people still falling short Between 1890 and 1910, Supreme Court had 307 cases based on this new amendment 288 cases advocating for corporations, 19 for slaves hows that for setting a precedent? The founders of this country had noble goals, and corporations were created with similar aims Originally chartered by states to achieve particular functions in serving the public good Its the story of a good-natured country boy moving to the city then losing his way Structured by legal decisions spanning 120 years; corporations required by law to place financial interests of owners first The public good, the originally intended beneficiary - has evolved into a competing interest With the political & legal system catering to corporations; no surprise, environmental & public health cant get much worse The corporate manifesto says stockholder profits grow the more they can externalize costs The boy from the country once responsible to his entire community - now his only responsibility is to his boss The 1940s began the age of synthesizing chemicals created for virtually any purpose, at virtually no cost Corporations winning heads and tails, environmental catastrophe and public sickness each time the coin gets tossed Remember Monsanto guaranteeing the safety of growth hormones in milk? on this premise, bigger profit margins built Same company guaranteeing safety of Agent Orange - $80 million out-of-court settlement for Vietnam Vets Monsanto never having to publicly admit their guilt This concept of accepting fines instead of accepting responsibility, epitomizes the need for fundamental change Pfizer, Kodak, G.E., Exxon, Alcoa, I.B.M., Bechtel - 100s of millions in yearly fines, yet everything stays the same Its like fining a millionaire baseball pitcher $5,000 for throwing at someones head, he may do the same his very next game I could go on about corporate crimes against public health, the Third World, the Biosphere, against Humanity But its time to talk about changing the lens, through which defenders of the environment and public health see The state regulatory system has always facilitated corporate growth the permitting process is a good phrase to use This system isnt broken, its working as intended - local govt legally powerless to stop state & corporate levels of abuse But everyday Americans are fighting back, let me tell you about one strategy thats helping to turn the tide Developing and passing individual Community Bill of Rights - waters out, no legal place left for corporate crabs to hide Community Bill of Rights can establish local citizens inalienable rights to clean water, land, and air Local government legally capable of saying No - returning power to everyday Americans, establishing a system that is fair It started in Pittsburgh, a ban on fracking for natural gas within city limits - corporate plans stopped dead in their tracks 140 other communities followed suit; stopping box stores, factory farms, sewage sludge, uranium mining & other attacks Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund is the coach in the peoples corner, a non-profit formed in 1995 Assisting with grassroots organizing, public education & outreach, drafting ordinances, and legal assistance So far helping 350,000 everyday Americans in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine, and Virginia live healthier lives They teach people how the current legal system can stop them and shine light on ways to move forward from there Once voting out local government leaders not playing ball, the path to creating a Community Bill of Rights is clear Once again, thats the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund C E L D F, add a dot-org to find them on the net After 120+ years of corporations dominating the legal system this route may be the peoples best chance for protection yet