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Dark money in politics has local impacts
This letter by Stephen Griffith was published May 31, 2025, in the Miami Valley Today (Troy, Ohio).
To the editor:
Since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision held that corporate political contributions were the same as speech and were protected by the First Amendment, massive amounts of the “dark money” have flowed through Political Action Committees to political parties and candidates. These contributions are made to influence the actions of politicians of both parties.
These donations are made by corporations and industry groups far removed from the Miami Valley, but they have local consequences. One alarming example concerns the more than $21 million in contributions made by the owners, employees, and family members of employees of Mountaire Corp., one of the largest chicken producers in the nation, in the 2024 election cycle. These contributions resulted in the Trump administration withdrawing a planned USDA effort to limit the amount of salmonella contamination in processed poultry.
As a result, we will all be potentially exposed to higher Salmonella levels in our food. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are 1.35 million Salmonella infections annually, with some 420 deaths. Yet, dark money political contributions succeeded in preventing regulations that would protect all of us. We need to act to amend the Constitution to eliminate this type of blatant political influence on the part of corporations under the guise of free speech. Move to Amend is working to gain support for this amendment and to return the control of politics to the people.
Write or phone your Senators and Congressmen and urge them to support House Joint Resolution 54, the We the People Amendment to correct this situation and end the treatment of corporations as individuals.
Stephen Griffith
Troy
Cleveland Hts Democracy Day: Letter to Public Officials & Public Testimony
City of Cleveland Heights
Council Office
40 Severance Circle
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
June 10, 2025
The Honorable Bernie Moreno
SR-284 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Jon Husted
SR-304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Shontel Brown
2455 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Rob McColley
1 Capitol Square, Second Floor 201
Columbus, OH 43215
The Honorable Matt Huffman
77 South high Street 14th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
CC:
Mayor Kahlil Seren, City of Cleveland Heights
Director of Law William R. Hanna, City of Cleveland Heights
Dear Senators Moreno and Husted, Representative Brown, President McColley, and Speaker Huffman:
On behalf of the Cleveland Heights City Council, I am writing to share a summary of the 12th Annual “Democracy Day” Public Hearing, held on June 5, 2025, in Council Chambers.
This public hearing is required by a 2013 citizen-initiated ordinance titled “Calling on Congress to Amend the U.S. Constitution to Establish That Corporations Are Not People and Money Is Not Speech.” Passed by 77% of Cleveland Heights voters, the ordinance mandates an annual public hearing to examine “the political influence by corporations and big money in connection with the most recent election.” It also requires the City Council to notify elected officials of the hearing and to reaffirm the will of the voters, who in November 2013 called for a constitutional amendment declaring:
- Only human beings, not corporations, are legal persons with constitutional rights; and
- Money is not equivalent to speech, and therefore, regulating political contributions and spending does not equate to limiting political speech
At the June 5 hearing, eight individuals provided oral testimony, and one submitted written remarks. Topics included:
Protestors rally across downtown Dayton against NATO Parliamentary Assembly
Samantha Madar | May 24, 2025
Columbus Dispatch
https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/2025/05/24/nato-protest-rally-downtown-dayton-ohio/83840769007
Mary Snapp and her husband Ian of Dayton hold signs against NATO during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
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Deb Hogshead of Troy speaks about Move to Amend Miami County during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
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Sandy Bolzenius of Columbus speaks about Move to Amend Miami County during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
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Deb Hogshead of Troy shows off her hat and pin during a rally near the barricade for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at Cooper Park on Saturday, May 24, 2025 in Dayton, Ohio.
Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch
Marches through Dayton end on bridges protesting NATO assembly on Saturday
May 24, 2025
A group marched from Deeds Point to the Riverside Drive bridge to protest the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in downtown Dayton on Saturday, May 24, 2025. NICK GRAHAM / STAFF
By Staff Report
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is in Dayton for its spring session, which is causing a lot of changes downtown. Here are things to know about Saturday.
Read more
"Democracy Day" returns to Cleveland City Hall
Sam Allard | May 12, 2025
https://www.axios.com/local/cleveland/2025/05/12/democracy-day-city-hall-money-politics
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
A community-led "Democracy Day" hearing arrives at Cleveland City Hall Monday as part of the national movement to get corporate money out of politics.
The big picture: Cleveland is among more than 20 Ohio municipalities that have passed resolutions since 2012 pushing Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to declare that money is not speech.
- Cities adopted these resolutions at the urging of advocacy groups like Move to Amend in response to the Citizens United Supreme Court decision in 2010.
- Cleveland's 2016 ordinance established a biennial public hearing at City Hall to allow the community to explore these topics.
Increasingly Clear That Corporations Have More Rights Than People
Heather Sturgill, a volunteer with Move to Amend Miami County, Ohio, explores how corporations have more rights than people. She calls on readers to urge their representatives to support House Joint Resolution 54, the We the People Amendment.
As we approach the May 10th anniversary of the 1886 Supreme Court’s Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company decision it is becoming increasingly clear that corporations have more rights than flesh and blood people. Though the decision itself did not explicitly grant corporations personhood, the headnote written by the court reporter stated that corporations are entitled to protection under the Fourteenth Amendment, a provision originally designed to protect freed slaves.
Section 1 of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution includes “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
In subsequent decades, this clause has been applied in a range of contexts, including to shield corporations from certain forms of government action. A notable example occurred in General Dynamics Corp. v. United States (2011), when the Supreme Court held that the government could not pursue its claims against the defense contractor without disclosing classified information essential to the company's defense. Because the evidence in question involved state secrets, the Court concluded that the proper course was to dismiss the claims, effectively protecting the corporation’s procedural rights under the due process clause.
Critics of the expanding scope of corporate rights contend that this legal doctrine has increasingly insulated powerful economic actors from accountability, even as individuals—particularly immigrants and undocumented residents—face significant hurdles in asserting their own rights.
In recent months, the Trump administration has intensified immigration enforcement, often citing national security to justify withholding information. For instance, in March 2025, the U.S. designated the Tren de Aragua gang, as a terrorist organization, then rounded up over 250 supposedly Venezuelan migrants and deported them to El Salvador, claiming they were linked to the gang. However, the U.S. government did not provide families or the media with names, evidence of crimes, or affiliations, citing operational security.
The use of national security to withhold information in immigration cases is not new. Senator Chris Van Hollen recently criticized the current administration for deporting Kilmar Ábrego García, a Maryland resident. And, despite a unanimous Supreme Court decision that ordered the administration to facilitate his return, he has yet to be brought back. The administration accuses García of MS-13 gang affiliation but has not filed any charges related to that accusation, raising questions about the use of unverified allegations to justify deportations.
Withholding information prevents individuals from challenging their detention or deportation effectively. And, the lack of access to evidence and legal recourse raises concerns about potential abuses of power and the erosion of constitutional protections.
Now, if we contrast the actions of the U.S. administration when dealing with people, vs when dealing with corporations we see that in the last decade, the principle of corporate personhood has been used to the advantage of powerful corporations, while ordinary flesh and blood persons often face less favorable outcomes when seeking justice.
As the country marks the anniversary of the Santa Clara decision, some activists and lawmakers are calling for a reevaluation of corporate rights and their broader implications.
Contact your State level representatives (www.ohiosenate.gov and https://ohiohouse.gov/) and ask them: “In the Ohio Senate, Kent Smith and Nickie Antonio have introduced S.R. No. 93 that calls for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to end ‘corporate personhood’ and ‘money as speech.’ We expect a similar resolution to be introduced in the House. Will you support this?”
Contact your representative in Congress (202-224-3121) and ask them: “Please support House Joint Resolution 54 (HJR 54). It’s a call for a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that restores that fundamental promise of our Republic: government of, by, and for the people.”
Contact your Senators (Husted & Moreno 202-224-3121) and ask them: “Please to cosponsor a companion resolution to House Joint Resolution 54 (HJR 54) when it's introduced in the Senate. It’s a call for a 28th Amendment to the Constitution that restores that fundamental promise of our Republic: government of, by, and for the people.”
Democracy begins at the local level
Letter to the Editor
April 19, 2025
https://miamivalleytoday.com/democracy-begins-at-the-local-level/
To the editor:
Democracy begins at the local level. It’s where we discuss community problems and find solutions. It’s also where we explore questions of principle—in particular, principles that guide our country and affect each of us, regardless of our political affiliation. This has been true since our nation’s founding.
In Ohio, 26 communities have explored the question of corporate power and big money in politics. As a result, they have passed resolutions, ordinances, and/or citizen ballot initiatives supporting an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that makes two things clear: (1) corporations and other artificial entities do not have constitutional rights and (2) money is not speech and campaign spending should be regulated.
Read moreLetter to Editor says proposed Ohio flat tax "treats billionaires like broke workers"
Heather Sturgill, a volunteer with Move to Amend Miami County, writes to the Dayton Daily News to explain how Ohio House Bill 30 unfairly benefits the ultra wealthy.
Ohio HB 30 would implement a “flat tax,” meaning teachers, home health aides, nurses, and warehouse workers would pay the same tax rate as billionaires. At first glance, this might seem fair — but it’s not. Percentages matter — and they’re relative. A flat tax is only fair if everything else — housing, food, medicine — each costs a certain % of income. But they don’t.
Example: Ohio’s Education Dept. poverty rate = $27,180 vs Musk’s Tesla compensation = $46 billion.
A $.74 Walmart apple = 0.00272% of the annual income of someone in poverty.0.00272% of Musk’s income = $1.84M for that same apple. Children’s cough syrup costs $6.99. That’s 0.0257% for that person in poverty. 0.0257% for Musk makes that same cough syrup cost = $11.5M. The cheapest Miami County apartment on Zillow = $635/month or $7,620/year. That’s 28% of a poverty-level income.28% of Musk’s income for that same apartment = about $13 BILLION.
A flat tax ignores that no other required expenses are a % of our income, essentially making this a tax break for the wealthy…that don’t NEED the tax break.
When Musk/other millionaires pay the same % of their income for apples & cough syrup as us, then we can talk about him paying the same % income tax rate. Until then, NO to HB 30.
Contact your Ohio House Representative and tell them “NO to HB 30. NO flat tax that treats billionaires like broke workers!”
- Heather Sturgill, Cincinnati
Toledo City Council celebrates annual Democracy Day
THE BLADE/ALICE MOMANY
The Blade
MAR 27, 2025
About 50 people filed into Toledo City Council chambers in One Government Center to voice concerns about the current political climate, ask questions about the city, and watch a public meeting unfold during the city’s annual Democracy Day.
“Planning this event is like a tradition,” Dennis Slotnick said. “But it also allows us to be giving to the greatest values we have in this country.”
The event Thursday was organized by Mr. Slotnick and Tony Szilagye, members of Toledo Move to Amend.
Toledo Move to Amend is the local affiliate of the national, nonpartisan organization committed to advocating for a robust democracy without corporate interests or dark money.
