On yesterday’s Your World, James Roosevelt Jr. and Neil Cavuto and sparred about whether or not corporations are people. Referring to Elizabeth Warren’s speech to the Democratic convention, Cavuto asked, “Do you believe this ‘corporations aren’t people?’ I mean, what’s staffing them, what, computers?”
Roosevelt, a grandson of FDR, said, “Corporations are of course staffed by people and they sell to people, but corporations themselves are not people, and that’s where, of course, Mitt over spoke.”
”But they are,” Cavuto insisted. “They’re people. They’re you and me, right?”
”But they’re not citizens of our democracy, and that’s what counts,” Roosevelt countered.
”But they are. They pay taxes,” Cavuto said, suggesting that being a taxpayer is all that’s involved in citizenship.
Roosevelt stood his ground. “They absolutely are not. If you read the Constitution, they are not.”
So Cavuto attacked Roosevelt. “There’s this inherit bias - and you at least are more truthful in your presentation. You don’t like corporate America.”
Unfortunately for Cavuto, Roosevelt had a better comeback. “Actually, I’m in corporate America. I run a corporation.”
But Cavuto was not to be deterred. “Bottom line: You just don’t trust companies, and it comes through loud and clear.”
Sorry, that was one of my fav memes when Romney first got it for that comment.
âIâll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.â
Me too.
As in “Blade Runner”, the acid test for personhood is flesh and blood. Corporations are not “alive” in the usual understanding of that term. That ruling by the Supreme Court was not well thought-through.
“Corporations are âformed & operatedâ by people but they are not people. Vehicles are âbuilt & operatedâ by people but they are not people.”
Well said, indeed. Will be using it often (with your permission).
“I wonder how someone with a TV show on a Business Network could make such an asinine statement. Fox viewers are so undemanding. Their hosts do not have to make any sense at all, just keep the anger turned to 10 and you can talk stupid all night long!”
Bemusing, ain’t it?
Well, Kneel, as it says on the button:
“I’ll believe corporations are people when Texas executes one.”
http://www.peaceproject.com/sites/default/files/B1113_IllBelieveCorporationsArePeopleWhenTexasExecutesOne.png
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