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Other Resources
Creating Democracy Workshop is an introductory, participatory
workshop on how to change laws and assert citizen authority and power.
Sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. Cost of the workshop
is $10.00 per person. Download pdf flyer (Front & Back). If interested,
e-mail gcoleridge@afsc.org .
OhioDemocracy.org
is a new blog by Greg Coleridge. Log on and learn about the issues. Join
the discussion! Get involved!
This
is What Democracy [in Ohio] Looks Like (pdf)
- A directory of state-wide resources. (February 2007 Edition) Also listed
at OhioDemocracy.org
From the QUAKER ECO-BULLETIN Asking
the “Rights” Question: Human Beings, Corporations, and Self-governance
(pdf) - Greg Coleridge
By
What Authority - Vol.1 No3 - 2000 - POCLAD
Reflections
on Elections, Corporations, Democracy & Beyond - by Greg Coleridge
AFSC
Response to Bush regarding Corporate Accountability by Greg Coleridge
A Fraction of Democracy by Greg Coleridge (pdf)
Survery
on Democracy and Corporate Power (pdf)
CORPORATE RIGHTS...CORPORATE POWER...CORPORATE
RULE...
Download a flyer that reveals the
TRUTH about Corporations, as well as resource information to learn more.
What
You Can Do in the Battle Against "Corporate Authority"... Follow the actions suggested on "How to Challenge Corporate Authority
in Ohio"
Sign and distribute the Resolution
to Abolish Corporate Personhood in Ohio
See our Resources
page for more...
Citizens
Over Corporations
A Brief History of
Democracy in Ohio
and Challenges to Freedom
in the Future
Second Edition Third Printing
By Greg Coleridge
CorpOrNation
The Story of Citizens and Corporations in Ohio
Video Documentary produced by the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service
Committee in 2003
(Click on PhotoCover above to see a
brief trailer for this documentary)
Read the reviews...
June
27, 2003 - Corporate Ohio is calling the shots - by Plain Dealer reporter
Tom Feran who states, "...the film is an eye-opener that deserves
attention as lawmakers deal with matters affecting insurance, health care,
education, the environment and countless other areas."
June
26, 2003 - THE COMPANY WAY - A people's history of corporate power
by Michael Gill, Cleveland Free Times, writes, "...it's a film every
Ohioan should see - especially those who believe we live in a democracy
where people make the decisions." |
Cleveland
Corporations, Law & Democracy Study Group
Next Democracy Discussion:
Thursday, October 19, 2006 at 7:30 PM - Democracy Discussion - on Campaign Finance Reform/Democratizing Cable Access at Peace House - 10916 Magnolia Ave., University Circle, Cleveland
Help develop plans to educate the community about full public financing of public elections and ways through the media and existing community groups to spread the message.
 (If
you have problems opening any of the documents on this page click on
the logo to the left to download Acrobat Reader)
September 2006 Topic:
Agenda
- Public financing of elections (description below)
- American History Test in area schools
- The corporatization of Wikipedia
"Two things are important in politics. The first is money and I can't remember what the second one is." -- Marc Hanna, manager of William McKinley's 1896 presidential campaign.
Over the last several months, members of the Cleveland Committee on Corporations, Law and Democracy have come to regard full public financing of public elections as a powerful antidote to "pay to play" corporate interference in our democracy.
As things stand now in most of the country, every time a candidate runs for office, corporate PACs and wealthy individuals "invest" in that person's candidacy. Are we to believe these savvy power brokers expect no return on their investment?
By offering candidates the option of receiving full public financing, we can give them the opportunity to run "clean" campaigns and actually represent their constituents once they are in office. Indeed, what interest would they have in doing otherwise? Making voters and campaign funders one and the same reduces both the reality and the perception of corruption in our representative democracy.
Public campaign financing is working viably and has developed an impressive track record in Arizona, Maine and several municipalities around the country. If you agree that Voter-Owned Ohio has a nice ring to it, contact CCCLAD at 216-371-1175 to request a speaker for your next organizational or community meeting.
- Carla Rautenberg
August 2006 Topic:
Democracy Discussion on Campaign Finance Reform/Democracy quiz in schools at Peace House, 101916 Magnolia Ave., University Circle, Cleveland
We will be presenting a series of 5-10 minutes talks on full public financing. Come provide feedback as we embark on a campaign to reach out to groups promoting the removal of private money from public elections.
We will also discuss ways to spread the "American History Test" (http://www.afsc.net/educatorresources.html) to high school and college history teachers.
July 2006 Topic:
Democracy
Discussion on Clean Elections / American History Test
- Finalizing a flyer and list of talking points about
full public financing ("Clean Money") that can be used to
present to area groups ... along with selection of list of groups
to approach for presentation. [Note: Common Cause Ohio will be launching
their Public Financing survey campaign during the last week of June.
The campaign seeks to sign up candidates running for public office
at the state level to pledge to support legislation calling for full
public financing. More information about the campaign and how we could
plug in at the meeting]
- Discussion of distribution of American
History Test. Please forward to any high school or college history
or other appropriate teachers/professors. For more information, contact
Carla at RCarla@aol.com
June 2006 Topic:
Discussion/debate/decisions on:
- Full public financing of political elections (aka
"Clean Money" or a "Voter Owned Ohio" system)
and update on developments in Ohio. More information: Sally Hanley, yrpalsal@aol.com
- Distribution of the "Working Class History
Quiz" (to be renamed) to area high schools and colleges. More
information, contact Carla Rautenberg, rcarla@aol.com
May 2006 Topic:
Full Public Financing of Elections
Several states and municipalities across the US have eliminated
private money (from wealthy individuals, corporations, etc.) from public
elections by initiating a system of voluntary full public financing
for candidates of any political parties who meets certain threshold
limits. The group, Public Campaign (www.publicampaign.org), has spearheaded
many of these "Clean Election" efforts. Other states and municipalities
are in the midst of similar campaigns -- some via ballot initiatives,
others via the legislature.
April 2006 Topic:
Topic: Full Public Financing of Elections
Several states and municipalities across the US have eliminated private
money (from wealthy individuals, corporations, etc.) from public elections
by initiating a system of voluntary full public financing for candidates
of any political parties who meets certain threshold limits. The group,
Public Campaign (www.publicampaign.org),
has spearheaded many of these "Clean Election" efforts. Other
states and municipalities are in the midst of similar campaigns -- some
via ballot initiatives, others via the legislature.
Join us for a discussion of the pros and cons of full
public financing. We will have a short video (about 10 minutes long)
available at the meeting and show it if there is interest. Review the
website for more information about full public financing.
More information, contact Lois at 216-371-1175 or Greg
at 330-928-2301.
March 2006 Articles:
It was agreed at our February meeting to explore several
areas citizens rights are particularly assaulted by corporate rights:
public financing of elections/corporate involvement in elections, and
the ability of corporations to freely move out of our communities. We
also discussed strategically whether working on various local campaigns
is preferable to being a part of a nationwide campaign (i.e. abolishing
corporate personhood or something else). Background readings for the
March 15 meeting:
- Information from Public Campaign (a national group
advocating full public financing of elections)
http://www.publicampaign.org/
- The Humboldt Coalition for Community Rights has succeeded in gaining
ballot status for their initiative "to protect our right to fair
elections and local democracy." The measure, to be voted on in
June, will prohibit non-local corporations from contributing (or maybe
more appropriately, "investing") to Humboldt County elections.
Go to their excellent website, http://www.votelocalcontrol.org,
for information.
- Available at the meeting: Court document and other information regarding
a suit filed by the Township of Ypsilanti, Michigan seeking to prevent
the General Motors Corporation from closing their Willow Run plant
(in Ypsilanti) based on the corporation's previous receipt of tax
abatements.
February 2006 Articles:
Corporate
Social Responsibility - Kick the Habit (pp 55-58 - Defying
Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Jane Anne Morris
(pdf)
Regarding "The Journal
of Corporate Citizenship" (pp 73 - Defying
Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Jim Price
Man Corporate on Top of the
World (pp 74-75 - Defying Corporations,
Defining Democracy) by Mary Zepernick
Corporations for the Seventh
Generation (pp 82-88 - Defying Corporations,
Defining Democracy) by Jane Anne Morris
You've Heard of Santa
Clara, Now Meet Dartmouth (pp 89-91 - Defying
Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Peter Kellman
January 2006 Articles:
The
Working Class History Test (pp 46-48 - Defying Corporations,
Defining Democracy) by Peter Kellman
(pdf)
Citizens Over Corporations
- A Brief History of Democracy in Ohio (pp 49-52 - Defying
Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Greg Coleridge
Dog Days at Company
Headquarters - Business Accountability and the Corporate Charter
(pp 53-54 - Defying Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Richard L. Grossman & Frank T. Adams
Labor Organizing and Freedom
of Association (pp 76-81 - Defying Corporations, Defining
Democracy) by Peter Kellman
Labor Party Resolution
(pp 265-266 - Defying Corporations, Defining Democracy)
by the Labor Party
Articles for the
December meeting (pdf) are:
-Consumption, Civil Action, and Corporate Power
by Ward Morehouse
-Corporations Must Not Supplant 'We the People" by Richard
Grossman
-Why We Research Corporate Law by Jane Anne Morris
-Point Arena City Council Resolution by Alis Valencia and
Jan Edwards
-Letter to the Alliance for Democracy by Mike Ferner and
POCLAD
Previous meeting discussion materials:
Unfinished
Business - Bhopal Ten Years After (pp 18-22 - Defying
Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Ward Morehouse (pdf)
Ending
Corporate Governance (pp 23-24 - Defying Corporations,
Defining Democracy) by Ward Morehouse (pdf)
Letter
To Barbara Dudley - Greenpeace USA (pp
25-29 - Defying Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Richard
L. Grossman (pdf)
Rethinking
The Corporation in the Context of Citizen-Organizing For Justice
(pp 30-34 - Defying Corporations, Defining Democracy)
- by Richard L. Grossman (pdf)
"Help!
I've been Colonized and I Can't Get Up..." Take a Lawyer and
an Expert to a Hearing and Call Me in a Decade (pp 8-12 -
Defying Corporations, Defining Democracy) by Jane Anne Morris
(pdf)
Playing
By Whose Rules - A Challenge to Environmental, Civil Rights, and Other
Activists (pp 13-17 - Defying Corporations, Defining
Democracy) by Richard L. Grossman (pdf)
Democratizing Cable Access in Northeast Ohio
Access Basics
(pdf)
Outcomes of Recent Cable Franchise
Renewals (pdf)
Ohio
History Quiz
Excerpted from Citizens over Corporations: A Brief History of Democracy
in Ohio and Challenges to Freedom in the Future
By Greg Coleridge
Those who rule based on the dominant culture, regardless of country
or political persuasion, have always written the “mainstream”
version of history. By definition, this means people, ideas and actions
fundamentally challenging the dominant culture are barely mentioned,
if so rarely analyzed, distorted or omitted altogether. It’s the
responsibility of those not part of the dominant culture (always has
been, always will be) to (re)claim the people, ideas and actions from
the past – to be inspired, to learn the lessons and to assess
what may be useful in the present. Ohio’s history is not just
a description of its past Presidents, where and when its wartime battles
took place, or which Ohioans flew into space. Another part, its hidden
part, is the story of the successes, struggles and failures of the many
people who sought to establish a state where they could make the basic
decisions affecting their own lives free from external control. It’s
also the story of the few who imposed control over Ohio’s majority
of people and resources using the business corporation as their primary
vehicle. These stories are enormously relevant today. The questions
and answers below are excerpted from Citizens over Corporations: A Brief
History of Democracy in Ohio and Challenges to Freedom in the Future,
available from the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee
[330-928-2301].
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