Unequal taxes, unequal accountability for crime, unequal influence, unequal privacy, and unequal access to natural resources and our commons-- these inequalities and more are the effects of corporations winning the rights of persons while simultaneously being given the legal protections to avoid the responsibilities that come with these rights. Hartmann tells the intriguing story of how it got this way-- from the colonists' rebellion against the commercial interests of the British elite to the distorted application of the Fourteenth Amendment-- and how to get back to a government of, by, and for the people.

From Unequal Protection:

"...over the past two centuries, those playing the corporate game at the very highest levels seem to have won a victory for themselves-- a victory that is turning bitter in the mouths of many of the six billion humans on planet Earth. It's even turning bitter in unexpected ways for those who won it, as they find their own lives and families touched by an increasingly toxic environment, fragile and top-heavy economy, and hollow culture-- all traceable back to the frenetic systems of big business that resulted from the doctrine that corporations are persons."