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Neil Alderman was with Pay W Commercial in Chapel Hill and he is working with <br /> solar companies that are looking to put solar equipment on buildings and farms. There <br /> are no zoning regulations in the County on this issue. He wants to petition the Board of <br /> County Commissioners to consider this and to help them in the process. There are <br /> several sites that he is working on now. <br /> Steven Petersen spoke on a petition to form a resolution supporting amending the <br /> U. S. Constitution. He has lived in Chapel Hill for 16 years and he runs a business. He <br /> said that it is sad to see so many people's financial situation going downhill. It is <br /> outraging to him to see how special interests drive the politics at all levels of government <br /> with little thought as to what is best for everyday people. He said that the decision <br /> Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court held that money was the essentially the <br />' same as free speech and that corporations have the same constitutional rights as people. <br /> This decision paved the way for targe corporations and wealthy individuals to buy <br /> influence through outspending the opposition. He said that the people with the most <br /> money should not drive the elections. Since this decision, the only way for the <br /> democracy to affect the will of its citizens is through a Constitutional amendment. There � <br /> are versions of the amendment floating from both houses of congress. Many local <br /> governments have supported this amendment. He asked that Orange County add its <br /> voice. <br /> Pete Brown has been a resident of Orange County for nearly 30 years. He also <br /> supports this petition and reiterated some of the same ideas as Steven Petersen. He <br /> said that the hope is that the resolution will be adopted. <br /> Carol Hay read a prepared statement. She said that she has lived in Orange <br /> County since 1991 and she has been a part of two family businesses that closed as a <br /> result of the increase in power of corporations to eliminate the competition, including her <br /> grandfather's gasoline shop in South Carolina and The Intimate Bookshop in Chapel Hill. <br /> "Corporations Are Not People <br /> The word corporation does not appear in the Constitution of the United States. Since <br /> 1886, when personhood under the 14�h Amendment was granted to corporations by the <br /> Supreme Court, this "right" has been extended to include (and this list is not exhaustive): <br /> 1St Amendment protection of free speech <br /> - Which was extended to supersede workers' rights to freedom of association <br /> - Then to include advertising <br /> - Then to include political contributions when money was declared <br /> equivalent to speech <br /> 4th Amendment search and seizure protection <br /> 5th Amendment protections <br /> - Of due process <br /> - Against taking private property for public use <br /> - Against double jeopardy <br /> 7tn Amendment right to jury trial in a civil case <br /> In contracts, since September 11, 2001, the rights of actual people have been reduced, <br /> restricted, annulled, and ignored: <br />