"Corporate Campaign Contributions" Built On Fraudulent "Personhood".
(BEND, Ore.) - Small personal story among my most pertinent memories of early days in Washington, D.C. working for a national association: I was in close contact then with what later became K Street, now notorious for heavy-lavish lobbyist "campaign contributions" shaping our destiny and that of our democracy.
This is the memorable scene encountered - actually, in a crowded Congressional corridor, not so far "off the floor."
One of my newly-made contacts, representing a then-very large producer of a basic "media machine" (to remain unnamed here albeit now out of business), had a handful of light-blue letter-size envelopes. He strolled nonchalantly through the crowded corridor, every so often button-holing a Congressman or their staff colleagues, bestowing on each at least one envelope. Some got two, a few even three.
Intrigued, I naively asked him what he was handing out. SO he handed me an envelope, too, carefully retaining his solid grip on the other end. Right on the face, in handwriting-style type, it read: "This contribution comes to you in recognition of your valued contributions."
Soon thereafter things like that changed, somewhat for the better, but "continued corporate corruption constantly concentrated on consolidating strong corporate efforts to control and promote continuing deregulation, privatization, and globalization are now historic events."
When I asked "Why light-blue?" regarding the envelopes, his answer was: "Plain-white ones would be far too obvious."
That was my introduction to "corporate campaign contributions" and the fraudulent legal assumptions on which it is known to be based.
Recent reports on the rapacious developments along now-notorious K Street count the lobbyist population, every one representing an individualized "special interest" - at over 60,000; thus overwhelming and outgunning our chosen and sometimes even honestly elected democratic representatives "pledged to the commonweal as their first and primary interest and responsibility."
Everything Congressional and, in many states, also Legislative, has gone downhill more and more rapidly, ever since; until now we are well aware of what is the reality in this world today: The democratic process on which the Foumding Fathers based their hopes - and shaped to offset their prescient fears, too has been allowed to deteriorate to the pernicious point of possible fatal failure, if allowed to continue only a little more.
In Oregon, for instance, we recently found that $500,000 was reportedly the key to lock up party-based opposition to any sensible solution for Big Tobacco tax-contribution via product-fee; forcing the sure-thing vote-by-initiative which - albeit forcing Big T to lavish many millions on determined media-channel attacks, ended by neatly rescuing many, many millions more in otherwise-lost "profits per package sold".
That reality-status is still so strong that some leading lobbyist-concerned forces, right here in Oregon, have currently sought continuing legal protections for the very questionable "right to speak" politically for corporations, at the heart of this whole issue.
That issue now revolves around the charter-granting right originally left to state control; but which corporations, now in very realistic command of much national policy, hope to see sent to D.C.
"Corporate campaign contributions" are clearly, if not so very cleanly - the major contributor (no pun!) to this concentrated proof of that political aphorism, well-known to every politician for its personal impacts: "Money is how you measure success in this game."
But, indeed, now, it is no longer "a democratic political game, but has become merely a manipulative business-for-business, in itself."
Yet there is no possible question that entirely fraudulent "human personhood" conferred on the corporate format known for centuries as only a legal fiction has been cannily and craftily promoted to its present major consequences by careful, cautious and controlled action continuing for many years; emanating entirely from known corporate powers, applied at every turn, in every court, and with compelling corporate money-power driving every action.
Books have been written and whole investigative careers devoted to the essential realities in how this has been accomplished: By dint of long-continued lobbying and legal effort by corporate-paid perpetrators at every level, in both legislative and court bases-for-effort.
The key court-decisions involved were basically decisive of small amounts (as little as $10 or $20) in tax-payments assessed by states against corporations; who then undertook the years-long, highly costly and long-continued court-struggles, simply and solely to distort and pervert
Constitutional provisions primarily meant by Congress to protect, preserve and strengthen the transition of former slaves to full and democratic citizenship.
"Corporate personhood" is, legally, closely tied to application of the principles on which the Fourteenth Amendment was built by good faith Congressional action --and now used 100 to 1 for corporate defense purposes pertaining directly to "corporate personhood"; rather than the reasonable and rational original-intent of Congressional action; and despite conditions imposed during rapid acceptance by both the state and the legal components of our famed U.S. governance combination.
In combination by sharp legal minds, well/compensated from corporate funds, you may be sure the near-impossible task was finally achieved.
But NOT by actual court-action --ONLY by "head-note" on a key case, added by inference initiated by the court reporter.
It is on that ephemeral and insubstantial basis that this entire assembly of "overwhelming corporate money-power has been unleashed, with all its 'unforeseen' consequences not only nationally, but in corporate governance now around the world".
The decision done in D.C. overnight by the EPA, reported elsewhere in these channels today, is clearly a desperate attempt to avoid the now-focusing attention of Congressional leaders, shut down during the Christmas recess.
This is simply one more display of neocon power presented to eager corporate task-masters in denial and defiance of what the Founding Fathers wrote into our Constitution, clearly awarding corporate control via charter and other measures to the individual states.
These neocons now recognize the inevitable erosion of their once- inestimable powers once possessed, in the face of the ever-more-obvious "new progressive surge" being reported across the nation --led, again, by the spreading American labor union renaissance also a remarkable achievement now underway --and the topic of a forthcoming Op Ed, too.
----------------------------------------------Reader’s Note: See also several Op Eds published during this past year, listed in STAFF reference to HCR writings. Quotes are summarized, shortened or condensed and combined;
verbatim sources available on request to editor with much further detailed documentation from files kept since my D.C. days on this topic.
Op-Ed: Corrupted Congress Inevitably Corrupts Democratic ProcessSalem-News.com