Tucson Progressive

Pamela Powers, a progressive voice for Arizona

Tucson City Council Votes to Abolish Corporate Personhood (video)

corporations-sig-sm72The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of Citizens United and proclaimed that corporations are people, they have the right to free speech, and, by the way, money equals speech.

That was January 2010, and the country has not been the same since. The 2010 elections were awash with secret, private campaign contributions, and campaign spending in this year’s election is utterly obscene. Single individuals have their own personal PACs. Candidates have their own PACs (even though PACs and candidates are supposed to be separate). Even Jan Brewer has a PACs– no problemo that they have spent a considerable about of the donations to buy her book.

As a result, a nationwide grassroots movement to amend the US Constitution has sprung up. Move to Amend is promoting a Constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, abolish corporate personhood, and deny that money equals speech.

Move to Amend, MoveOn.org, Progressive Democrats of America Tucson Chapter, Occupy Tucson, and other local groups encouraged the Tucson City Council to join Flagstaff and  hundreds of US cities to pass a resolution to abolish corporate personhood.

At the June 12, 2012 City Council meeting, they voted 7-0 in favor of abolishing corporate personhood and supporting a Constitutional amendment.

Of course, you didn’t see this on the local news because the corporate reporter turned off his camera when the discussion started. Here’s the video.

Originally posted on Blog for Arizona on June 24, 2012.

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About

The Tucson Progressive: Pamela J. Powers

I stand on the side of Love. I believe in kindness to all creatures on Earth and the inherent self-worth of all individuals–not just people who agree with me or look like me.

Widespread economic and social injustice prompted me to become a candidate for the Arizona House, representing Legislative District 9 in the 2016 election.

My platform focused on economic reforms to grow Arizona’s economy, establish a state-based public bank, fix our infrastructure, fully fund public education, grow local small businesses and community banks, and put people back to work at good-paying jobs.

In the Arizona House, I was a strong voice for fiscal responsibility a moratorium on corporate tax breaks until the schools were fully funded, increased cash assistance to the poor, expansion of maternal healthcare benefits, equal rights, choice, unions, education at all levels and protecting our water supply.

After three terms, I retired from the Arizona Legislature in January 2023 but will continue to blog and produce my podcast “A View from the Left Side.”

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