Montanans Vote to Abolish Corporate Personhood

Missoula is the second largest city in Montana and home to the University of Montana.  According to the 2010 census, the county seat of Missoula County is home to 66,788 people in the city limits, with a total of 109,299 if you count the "Missoula Metropolitan Area."  (Click here to go to Missoula's official website.)  Situated at 3,209 feet and located at the conjunction of five mountain ranges, Missoula is also called the "Hub of Five Valleys" and even the "Garden City" for its relatively mild climate.  Founded in 1860 as a wagon trail trading post, Missoula shares an independent streak with most Big Sky state residents and indeed, with most Westerners in general.  Thus, a recent ballot referendum there really caught my eye.

In the November 8, 2011 municipal election the good citizens there voted almost three to one to declare that a corporation does not have the same rights as a human being.  According to the Office of Elections, the vote was 10,729 to 3,605, or 74.85% to 25.15%.  City Councilwoman Cynthia Wolken placed the referendum before the council in August, reporting that her constituents had an "overwhelming sense of despair about government."  As she was knocking on doors, people kept expressing their view that, "A lot of people feel that what they say doesn't matter, because somebody with more money will come along and drown out their voices."  They were particularly resentful of the 2010 Citizens United Supreme Court ruling, which declared corporations have free speech rights and the ability to spend unlimited amounts of money without attribution for political purposes.  Read the Missoulian newspaper article on it here.

The corporate personhood resolution builds its case with declarations of principle such as:

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, the recent Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission Supreme Court decision that rolled back the legal limits on corporate spending in the electoral process creates an unequal playing field and allows unlimited corporate spending to influence elections, candidate selection, policy decisions and sway votes, and forces elected officials to divert their attention from The Peoples’ business, or even vote against the interest of their human constituents, in order to raise competitive campaign funds for their own re-election, ...

It concludes with a call for action:

"The citizens of Missoula, Montana, hereby urge the Montana State Legislature and United States Congress to amend the United States Constitution to clearly state that
corporations are not human beings and do not have the same rights as citizens."

Click here to read the entire text of the Missoula corporate personhood resolution.
 
A group called the Move to Amend Coalition is attempting to spread this message and movement across the country.  Click on this link to go to their site.