Holy Wisdom III - Corporate Personhood?

Here in the library at Holy Wisdom Monastery, I'm looking at a copy of the weekly, The Capital Times. An opinion piece by Jane Anne Morris, found on page 33 of the issue for the week of October 14-20, is titled "Corporate 'personhood' must be challenged." Corporate personhood is the concept that corporations have constitutional rights, just like people. It is my understanding that corporate personhood enters the picture in the late 19th century. And, it depends on an addendum made be a clerk, not a Supreme Court justice, to a decision on railroads. However, this addendum has been interpreted to have the force of law, without any more solid basis than that. The current Supreme Court has some issues before it in which corporate personhood is a key player. These issues boil down to whether the Supreme Court will decide that corporate "free speech" (in the form of books sponsored by corporations, television ads, movies or money) trumps campaign finance laws.

Some years ago, Thom Hartmann in What Would Jefferson Do? argued that corporate personhood should be abolished because the immortal corporation had powers that ordinary people do not, and, over time, can (will) end up oppressing common citizens. I'm also remembering the book, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins. In that book, Perkins tells his story of being an "economic adviser" to governments of developing countries. His expertise was in 'cooking' (my term) the numbers and making economic forecasts that would convince these governments to take out loans for energy projects, dams, roads, etc. The point was to then use these loans to hire American corporations to do the work of building dams that were not needed, meant homes and habitats destroyed, and that put that nation in deep debt to the World Bank and other countries.

I believe that corporate personhood is an issue that should be discussed and debated. We need to understand what is at stake and how to set boundaries around the rights and responsibilities of corporations, personhood or not. I am deeply aware that this discussion has connections to just about every facet of daily life around the globe.

May we begin to look more carefully at how to provide for the needs of all people and for the well-being of the earth and its creatures. May we pay close attention to the UN's Declaration of Human Rights and its other documents about the rights of humans and the care of the earth. May we see clearly where various economic institutions and structures serve these rights and where they do not.

What does God want my prayer to be? I believe it is to pray that we globally and collectively begin to look at these issues together with truth, love and calm. AMEN.