Florida Veterans for Common Sense (FLVCS) asks our elected officials and candidates for office to pledge to support the We the People Amendment to the Constitution that declares corporations are not people and money is not free speech. It alone removes rights reserved for human persons from corporations and requires regulation, limitation, or prohibition of campaign spending. 

Why an amendment is needed

 Constitutional Rights, originally meant to protect human beings from the potentially oppressive powers of our government, now belong to corporations. Corporate Personhood has its roots in the 19th Century with a precedent set by the 1886 Supreme Court case (Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad). Consequently, that case resulted in corporations being entitled to the same rights as people. Since then, corporations have claimed these constitutional rights in Federal Court to overturn, weaken and circumvent laws designed to protect the environment, worker safety, public health and myriad other laws. For example, the more recent 2010 Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission leads to flagrant circumventions of laws design to protect us and the environment.

One of the most egregious tenets of Corporate Personhood is equating the spending of money in political campaigns with First Amendment protected free speech. Unfortunately, this equivalence allows those with the most money to speak with the loudest voice. Resulting in giving artificial entities undue access, privilege, and leverage. Thus, disempowering real persons.

The We the People Amendment is the best solution

The remedy is to amend the Constitution to check previous precedent and rulings of the Supreme Court. Before Congress now, the We the People Amendment (H.J. Res. 48), establishes that only living human beings, not corporations, are endowed with Constitutional rights and that money is not the same as speech. In addition, the amendment mandates the regulation, limitation, or prohibition of political money in elections.

With growing public support for a 28th Amendment to squelch the power of corporations and money in elections, several alternative Amendments have come before Congress. It is important that we recognize that these proposals, while well intended, are not equivalent to the We the People Amendment, H.J. Res. 48.   For example, The Democracy for All Amendment is presently in the House and Senate, H.J. Res. 2 and S.J. Res. 51, respectively. Another bill, H.J. Res. 57, is before the House.  Be aware that the We the People Amendment calls for abolishing all forms of “corporate personhood” (i.e., corporate constitutional rights). The H.J. Res. 2, S.J. Res. 51, and H.J. Res. 57 Amendment proposals have no equivalent provisions. Moreover, The We the People Amendment states that governments “shall” regulate, limit or prohibit political money in elections.  

By Comparison, the alternative Amendments do not mandate control of money in elections. Instead, the Democracy for All Amendment says government “may” regulate political money in elections. H.J. Res. 57 states, “… nothing in the Constitution prohibits Congress from imposing reasonable content-neutral limitations on private campaign contributions ….” The We the People Amendment is profoundly more sweeping and effective in legalizing We the People’s right to protect our families, communities, environment, and democracy. Further, the We the People Amendment is the only proposed amendment that comprehensively removes the right of personhood from corporations and controls money in elections.

FLVCS supports the We the People Amendment

Resolution of all of the important issues our nation faces including healthcare, the environment, and public safety hinge on retaking our democracy from the yoke of corporate personhood and returning power to real people. Therefore, FLVCS fully supports constitutional rights being reserved for natural persons only and that spending money on elections not be considered protected free speech.  Finally, FLVCS urges all officials and candidates to pledge support for H.J. Res. 48, the We the People Amendment. It alone removes rights reserved for human persons from corporations and requires regulation, limitation, or prohibition of campaign spending. 

Return to Election-2020 Issues