This is what the problem is in Detroit: it is a manifestation of everything that happens when corporate power abuse is allowed to reign free. Cities lay in financial ruin, and state officials appoint commissions, boards, and committees to make decisions that really should be in the hands of the residents themselves.
The story of Detroit is one of greed, built on money and dirty politics. If they can take away the rights of voters in Detroit, they can do the same thing in your city, too.
Extensions of Power and what the People must do to Act
U.S Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes issued a ruling to allow Detroit to enter into Chapter 9 bankruptcy. Yet the city will not obtain complete autonomy for at least a decade, the Detroit Free Press reported. The state legislature and governor approved financial review commissions--controlled by state appointments--that will oversee all fiscal decisions made by the city, in addition to any decisions made by city pension boards. The balance of power continues to be disrupted, and it is only the beginning.
It is critical that now more than ever, that people begin to act. These decisions don't just affect the world of politics, but our everyday lives. Corporate power abuse is increasingly becoming problematic because it strips away our rights as democratic citizens to hold government officials accountable for their actions. Our voice should be louder than the big checks that corporations and special interest groups give to lawmakers. We are rushing headlong toward oligarchy, and it must be stopped.
That is why it is important to have a movement built on dismantling the structure that corporate power represents, in addition to upholding a commitment to anti-oppression within our communities and ourselves. It is imperative that we organize through coalition building and grassroots efforts to overturn the deep social and economic injustices we have experienced before and since the Supreme Court affirmed that corporations are people in the Citizens United ruling.
Enough is enough
Move to Amend is leading the call for a democracy movement, and is organizing with individuals and organizations nationwide to wrest control of our government from corporations and their wealthy shareholders.
We move to amend the Constitution to firmly establish that money is not protected political speech and that human beings, not corporations, are entitled to Constitutional rights. Sign the petition to get involved. If corporate rule is left unchallenged, any one of us could soon find our community sliding into oligarchy, just like Detroit. We need to act before it is too late!
Celene serves on Move to Amend's Media and Communications Committee. She is a senior at Bennington College in Bennington, VT studying Politics & Economics with a focus on social/political movements and elections. Her primary interests include immigration politics and national elections, but she is very invested in the movement to end corporate personhood. She has previously worked with Democracy for America, Youth Policy Institute, and the Chicano Latino Youth Leadership. Find her at spotwriting.wordpress.com or on twitter @celenebeats.
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