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Are Corporations People?

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  • Description

    Author Cleve Stevens breaks down whether corporations can be considered individuals.

  • Duration 4:52
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To assume you -- so here's the question guys are corporations people government Romney said this while campaigning just last year.

Corporations are people my friend and I can raise taxes that of course they -- everything corporation -- ultimately goes to people so yeah when you think it goes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You know today in Elizabeth Warren C responded with this.

And Mitt Romney tells us in his own words.

He believes.

Corporations.

Are people.

No -- corporations are not top people.

Join a company from Irvine California's leadership consultant Lee Stevens author of the best in this in us to -- -- and -- here you do say that corporations are not people right.

Well is -- not quite that black and white Charles.

The fact is that legally the matter of the matter is settled and and in the true sense of the word.

A corporation is -- person in a legal sense for accountability reasons and for rights.

Where we struggle a little bit is the -- de facto real world experience.

Of human beings within the organization because.

There is a a real world lived experience where the corporation -- Conner corporation a person in a sense is -- -- a flock of these is a goose.

Of course that's not the case.

So -- in a sense governor Romney is absolutely right because he's speaking about it from a legal point of view of that -- our legal definition did you you don't agree though when it comes down to you probably -- that corporation is a person.

I what I'm saying is that we run into problems yes -- get a sense that went when Obama or Warren will say.

That corporations are not human beings from a de -- real world experience that's true.

The problem that we run into Charles is that we when we can fully these two different ways of looking at the same thing.

And we apply the legal sensibility.

To the real world lived experience we run into some dangerous struggles because it elevates the corporation or over the people who are in the -- corporation.

Well -- -- that we can create plane you know I did -- think about it this -- he's that you talked about they all have the same goals in mind.

They and they fly in unison as one you -- time.

When you're a corporation is a corporate culture there's there's overarching goal that everyone shares in everyone shares and a pain in the misery of the company.

So attuned to that end I think and I think ultimately what we're talking about is the ability to harm corporations.

Sort of like a neutron bomb you can -- or corporation without crossing the people inside of it.

Well yeah.

-- the idea that people working together toward the same and creates this additional entities.

Is is is it.

Actually legitimate conversation but what -- that the person or not is another.

Another issue I mean see here here's the problem the problem is that when we elevate a corporation above the people.

We get into all kinds of confusions and the reason I wrote the book the best in us is that.

-- organizations and the leaders that are going to be most effective in the 21 century are the ones who say it's not simply the profits that are the issue.

The issue is growing people.

And achieving excellence as a function of that growth.

And of course why potash enclave about staying in business that to go 12012 because.

Sandra -- wanted to ask you what.

Friedman yeah do you respond directly to Mitt Romney's words -- people were protesting his comments.

That people are corporations in.

Highs yeah you shook me he was simply making the point that when corporations -- everyone thrives in that money goes back into the pockets of the people.

Right and so what he was doing he was making a mistake that many of us -- right legally corporation as a person for good reason.

But but what -- and what the people in the crowd were saying is there -- -- that or look at the same thing from another perspective.

And so the argument was -- -- -- about the inflation of two very distinct perceptions which are both accurate.

And right and so that the problem we run into though.

Is when we tried to inflate these two ideas and what that leads us to is the idea that profit is the only thing that matters well I'll put forth like -- have a -- -- -- don't like -- in I understand where you're coming from but I think in the political sense I think what we're talking about as a justification for the war on business.

In the notion that somehow doesn't hurt the people that work for these companies or the shareholders.

We've looked like luck fellows that would got -- that would have the -- here but we definitely wanna have you back because this is obviously topic that's not gonna go away so we appreciate it thanks a lot.

All right thank.

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