Passing a Constitutional Amendment to Challenge the Supreme Court’s Obeisance to Corporate Power

12 T I K K U N W W W. T I K K U N . O R G M A R C H / A P R I L 2 0 1 0 A nyone who cares about the future of American democracy must be deeply troubled by the recent Supreme Court decision to empower corporations by granting them the rights (but not the responsibilities) of “persons.” Though liberals in Congress are certain to attempt new legislation to limit the impact of this decision, the Supreme Court is likely to strike down any legislation that would undermine what the court has now achieved—corporations’ unchecked ability to influence U.S. elections through unlimited donations. The effect will almost certainly strengthen corporate power, which already shaped American economic life (that is, what we do all day long to make a living), the media (which corporations largely own), and much of electoral life, even before this decision. It seems obvious to many progressives that restricting corporate power to shape our elections will require a constitutional amendment. But there are many spiritual progressives who argue that if we are to engage in the massive campaign necessary to amend the Constitution, we should frame an amendment that is broader and imposes a powerful set of restraints on corporate power. We could achieve this by requiring that corporations get a new corporate charter every five years; the charter would only be granted to corporations that could prove a satisfactory history of environmental and social responsibility. We have posted one such proposal on our website—the Environmental and Social Responsibility Amendment (ESRA)—and there will be other proposals coming soon. We intend to get your feedback and participation in this project most fully at our Tikkun/Network of Spiritual Progressives conference inWashington,D.C.,June11–14.Thisisjustoneofthemany reasons why it is so important for you to be there, and for you to invite others in your world who care about these kinds of issues. Though our conference was originally framed as “Supporting Obama to BE the Obama Americans Thought They Elected,” that formulation seems too limited and too focused on Obama. The main problem facing America is the vast power held by irresponsible corporations, the structure imposed on our lives by the capitalist system, and the ethical and spiritual consequences of the globalization of selfishness. We are living in a global economic /political/military empire whose bottom line is maximizing money, power, and global domination. The ethos of the American empire produces a “look-out-for-number-one” consciousness that gushes through American culture and undermines solidarity and caring for others, thereby weakening our family ties and friendships. The spiritual challenge of our time is to promote a new way of thinking and a New Bottom Line that promotes love, kindness, generosity, ethical and ecological sensitivity , and awe, wonder, and radical amazement at the grandeur and mystery of the universe. Can such a movement be sustained in an era of cynicism and despair? Maybe. That depends in part on you, which is why it is so important for you to come to the June conference in D.C. Of course we know that financial considerations may make it difficult for some of our readers to get there and pay for accommodations . One thing we can offer members of the NSP and subscribers to Tikkun: if you look at the sliding fee scale and can’t afford the registration fee at your level of income, go to the next level down or even the one below that. And if you can’t afford any of the levels on our sliding scale, write me an email or a letter explaining why not and enclose a check for what you actually can afford—that will be fine, particularly if you assure me that you will be giving a few hours each week between now and then to convince friends, neighbors, and members of your political, cultural, or religious community to come to the conference , join the NSP, or subscribe to Tikkun. To register for the conference: www.spiritualprogressives.org/conference. To volunteer before and at the conference, send me a note at RabbiLerner@Tikkun.org or send a letter...