IF CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE - Ever since the Supreme Court ruled in Citizens United that corporations have the same First Amendment rights as individuals for the purposes of electoral communications, an important question has lingered regarding the implications of the majority opinion.
Not "if corporations are people, how come they barely pay taxes?" And certainly not, "if corporations are people, how come none of them are in prison?" No, here's the real dilemma: If corporations are people, how come they need to use the intermediaries of campaign contributions and lobbyists to bend policy making to their whims? Why not eliminate the middlemen and have corporations become the politicians?
For Farmscape LLC, a Los Angeles business that designs and maintains farm plots in the city, the answer is "Why not, indeed?" Following in the path-breaking limited-liability footsteps of Murray Hill Incorporated — an environmental consultancy that sought ballot access in Maryland's 8th Congressional District in 2010 — Farmscape recently announced its candidacy for mayor of Los Angeles. (Check out the announcement video and the rest of this report here)
-cw
Tags: Corporation Runs for Mayor, Los Angles, LA Mayor, mayoral candidates, corporations are people, Farmscape LLC, ReFarm LA, Citizens United, Supreme Court
CityWatch
Vol 10 Issue 37
Pub: May 8, 2012