Tuesday, May 21, 2013

United States Inc.



Is the United States of America a Corporation?

One of the more understandable misunderstandings on the Internet is the notion that the United States' federal government (and by extension the country as a whole) is in reality a corporation with its own set of rules, CEO's etc. This theory is held by many and is parroted across hundreds of websites and online forums, some with seemingly strong arguments. To complicate matters they point to a series of  laws which, on the surface, may appear to validate their claims. I hope to be able to explain where the misunderstandings come from and to clear up the whole issue.

These are the two laws which are the most quoted:

28 USC § 3002 - Definitions
(15) “United States” means—
        (A) a Federal corporation;
        (B) an agency, department, commission, board, or other entity of the United States; or
        (C) an instrumentality of the United States.

And the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 which creates a city government for the District of Columbia. You can find the full text of the Act here.

An example of the most common claims and arguments can be found here. Aside from claiming the US government is a for-profit corporation, it naturally asserts that we are and have been under the control of the evil Rothschild international bankers and that since some people think our "current" government is unlawful, that their minority opinion holds with the full force of law and is actionable i.e they do not have to follow any laws set forth after 1871 (a fantasy of the highest order).

The "Definitions" controversy rests in the meaning of "a Federal corporation." The rest of the issues arising from 28 USC § 3002 are really rather basic. This section is saying that for the purpose of identifying what is or is not a part of the United States federal government, the "United States" may refer to EITHER; a Federal corporation; an agency, department, commission, board of other entity of the United States; or an instrumentality of the United States.

As of 2011 there are 17 federal corporations. According to a report on federal corporations by the Congressional Research Service "The federal government does not possess a general incorporation statute as states do. Each government corporation is chartered through an act of Congress." Federal government corporations include the Postal Service, the Federal Reserve and the TVA. The definition does NOT say that the federal government *is* a corporation but rather, federal corporations (like the TVA) are part of the federal government of the United States.

English is a tricky language and words take on new popular meanings and tones, especially words that have a modern negative connotation, like "corporation." A person with only a cursory understanding of the law or only focusing on the "definitions" section could easily come to the wrong conclusion. This section has been used to great effect and unfortunately most people never step outside of themselves and their distrust of all things government to actually research the issue themselves. A meme showing evil bankers with "the United States is a corporation" will be passed along the Internet simply because people do not trust government and the meme reinforces pre-held biases; it reinforces a negative image and people are all too eager to indulge themselves.

The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 was an act to formally give a government to the District of Columbia which, up to that point, had been governed as a mixture of municipalities and counties within District boundaries. Let me give you some more background.

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution gives Congress (with the approval of the affected States) the power to create a district in which to hold the seat of government. This district, 10 miles squared (not 10 square miles, but 10 miles on each side), was formally placed under the direct control of the Congress.

The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 allowed Congress to retain control over the city itself, known as the City of Washington, however the remaining territories were divided into Washington County and the County of Alexandria. The cities of Georgetown and Alexandria, which had existed prior to 1801 and which existed within the 100 square mile federal territory, were allowed to keep their city charters. In 1802, the City of Washington was granted its own charter. The mayor of the City of Washington was to be appointed by the President.

The citizens within the District were no longer citizens of Maryland or Virginia and were thus disenfranchised. This disenfranchisement is what led Virginia, in 1846, to ultimately reclaim the territory it had ceded to the District.

Next, comes the Act of 1871. This act repealed the individual charters of Georgetown and Alexandria, brought them in with Washington County (since the County of Alexandria now belonged to Virginia), and brought the whole area under one single government, the District of Columbia. Nowhere in the law's text does it say anything about the government of the United States being a corporation. Additionally, Congress repealed the Act in 1874 and replaced the system of direct Congressional governance for the local government of the District in favor of a more direct rule system. The District of Columbia would then be ruled by a three-member Board of Commissioners until 1967 when it was replaced with a mayor and city council who would be appointed by the President. This was changed once again by the 1973 Home Rule Act. 

What is a corporation?

The word "corporation" has several meanings, however it is generally understood as a legal entity that has been incorporated (in one way or another) by a legislative act. A fair amount of confusion arises because the modern American understanding of the term is somewhat different than the original English definitions. In the US, the term tends to mean a business, but the term really means that it is now an entity which can be sued, do business (activity), etc. without respect to the individuals who made it or control it. Basically, an incorporated entity can act and be brought to court. 

The notion that the term "corporation" is solely an entity with its own separate laws and whose only purpose is to make money is an utter misconception. Cities, states, colonies, nations, and yes, businesses have been incorporating themselves for centuries. 

In the American system of government, States hold the power to grant or refuse the incorporation (or home rule) of a city, county or other body. However, since the federal district was explicitly authorized by the Constitution and Congress was given direct control over the district, it took an Act (or Acts) of Congress to set it up. 

Final words

Under federal law, for an entity to become a federal corporation there must be an Act of Congress creating that corporation. And as we have seen, Congress has created multiple federal corporations. There are no acts incorporating the United States, only the District of Columbia; which is not the same thing as the government of the United States, no more so than the City of Nashville is the government of the State of Tennessee.

In the Supreme Court case, United States v. Cooper Corporation (1941), the Court said: "We may say in passing that the argument that the United States may be treated as a corporation organized under its own laws, that is, under the Constitution as the fundamental law, seems so strained as not to merit serious consideration."

This view is additionally supported by the doctrine of "sovereign immunity," which states that the government of the United States, or of the individual States, or of certain tribal entities, may not be sued unless the government first allows it. A business/company/corporation can be sued.

The government of the United States and the entity of the District of Columbia are not one and the same. The District of Columbia is no different than the incorporated cities of Nashville, Sacramento or Atlanta when compared to the Constitutional governing bodies (the governments of the States) that reside within their limits. 


Sources & additional reading:

Federal Corporations - by the Congressional Research Service (PDF)

District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 - text of the Act

District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 - text of the Act

27 comments:

  1. Although it is true that the Federal Govt. is not Washington DC (and Vice Versa) it is true that the corporate charter extends only to the municipality of DC. Unfortunately though the legal theory of "implied consent", the Laws which have De jure standing only within the original corporate municipality (DC) now have de facto standing though all States and territories.

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    1. Article IV of the Articles of Confederation which still exist no matter who or whom say it does not, Domestic makes reference to land owned by the United States of America which is land governed by Constitution "of the United States" not Constitution "for the United States" and land owned by the United States of America is found in the Bureau of land management which is under the Constitution "of the United States".


      Let me guide you to Volume 1 United States Code which is inclusive of Titles 1-4 and Title 5 sections 101-5949 paying attention to Titles 1-4 for this is the Organic Laws of which is the foundation of everything while Title 5 is for government employees. All of Titles 1-4 is Law within Volume 1 and is printed every six years by the United States printing office. There is the United States of America which is land owned and governed by the Constitution "of the United States", in Title 4 of Titles 1-4 not the Constitution "for the United States" which is Title 2 of Titles 1-4. which one finds the term "free inhabitant" in Article IV of Title 2 which is the Articles of Confederation and this is still law no matter who says it is not, but it does not apply within Title 4 and 3 of Titles 1-4 but applies in Title 5 sections 101-5949 for in there does not exist Title 2 which is the District of Columbia and its Territorial Jurisdiction(s) which is under the Commerce clause at Article 1 section 8 of the Constitution "of the United States" in Title 4 of Titles 1-4. Title 2 of Titles 1-4 was never Adopted by Title 4 "Constitution of the United States" but was Ratified by all states whom were part of the Northwest Territory in Title 3 of Titles 1-4 to which there had to be X amount of "free inhabitants in order to establish a Constitution such as Ohio in 1803 with established borders, so in essence the Northwest Ordinance was a limited form of Government until Ratification of Title 2 of Titles 1-4 and establishment of a bordered Constitution respectively and at which point the territorial government was eliminated and there could be no more legislative acts within said area as defined which also leaves the newly formed state in the same position without legislative authority with one exception it could only deal with the Constitution "of the United States" within its confines, so the state such as Ohio moved by resolution to the 1851 OHIO CONSTITUTION to do so in what is called the Dillon Rule which deals with one subject and pointing out that the 1851 Ohio Constitution is still in force for resolutions art not law but only deal with Commerce in Article 1 section 8 of the Constitution "of the United States", not the Constitution "for the United States' and the later is the Republic in 1803 Ohio bordered Constitution and the only land left to govern in said bordered Constitution is Wayne National Forrest, which of course is questionable. Any questions?, pleas read Volume 1 United States Code and become familiar with Titles 1-4 paying close attention to the dates of entry and language you will find out there is no President of the United States of America and only a President of the United States by Oral Oath as an employee. I know this is all confusing...... lolol but this is all the truth. :LOLOLOL Im sorry I had to get that all out lololol I doubt you understand what I was talking about This is the difference between domestic and non domestic. Washington D.C. is a Federal jurisdiction who police their own citizens.

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  2. I'm not too savvy,but if the U.S. was sovereign they woukdrof enforced their borders to protect their sovereignty and not allow anyone to just invite him/herself.It's soemewhere in the Morrocan Law after the Pirate Wars of Tripoli right after our Declaration of Independence.Also,why the Native Americans tribes are recognize as sovereign and as Nations (among the United States).Also, the American government is exercising it's law with Maritime Law and Not Land laws..Also how everything printed by the Corporatist is by CAPS LETTERS on all documentations like Birth Certificate and Social Security cards.There's a reason for all of this.You mentioned many websites, maybe you're the clueless web page of them all.

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  3. That's a lousy rebuttal. Since "United States" was defined as a Federal corporation in 28 USC § 3002, any following definitions in the same section that use the term "United States" can be replaced with "Federal corporation". The author's rebuttal now says, an agency, department, commission, board of other entity of the Federal corporation (United States); or an instrumentality of the Federal corporation (United States). If the author is going to rebut legalese, he needs to learn to read legalese.

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    1. No, not quite. It means that when the term "United States" is used in that chapter, it applies to all the categories named in 28 USC 3002(15). It does not mean that all of those categories are synonymous. It means that, when reading the chapter, a provision that applies to the "United States" applies to the Bureau of Printing and Engraving as well as Amtrak, as well as an Army regiment. It does not mean that any of these things are equal to each other or to the federal government as a whole. It should also be noted that these definitions only apply to a single chapter of the US Code dealing with federal debt.

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    2. The 'United States' is, in essence, a corporation. However, it wasn't established by the Organic Act of 1871. It has always been a multi-trillion dollar conglomerate which operates and is identified as a government.

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  4. pretty shallow plowing in that intellectual field. either a shill positing a very bad rebuttal or else married to someone who works there whom they are trying to defend but should have stuck to doodling.

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  5. Area- Federal district 68.34 sq mi (177.0 km2)
    The U.S. Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress and the District is therefore not a part of any state.
    A locally elected mayor and a 13‑member council have governed the District since 1973. However, the Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. D.C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives, but the District has no representation in the Senate.
    After the passage of this Act, citizens living in the District were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, which therefore ended their representation in Congress.
    On August 24–25, 1814, in a raid known as the Burning of Washington, British forces invaded the capital during the War of 1812. The Capitol, Treasury, and White House were burned and gutted during the attack.
    The District also hosts nearly 200 foreign embassies and international organizations such as the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the Organization of American States, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization.

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    1. The constitutionally defined limits of the district came to 100 square miles. In 1846 the DC retrocession occurred where Virginia was ceded back the 31 square miles it had given as part of the original city, which meant DC was then roughly 69 square miles in size.

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  6. Whether or not governments, municipalities, etc enjoy some status superior to that of their corporations (and how could it be any other way?), nevertheless they are all Legal Fictions and are conventionally denoted with all caps (Capitis Diminutio, Black's Law Dictionary - Revised 4th Edition, 1968) like us, their STRAW-MEN/slaves (duped/disenfranchised sentient beings). The status of our relationship to the "monsters" is still the same!

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  7. My liberal friends wwould love this. It's not true though. We became a corporation in 1933. America was founded by the Vatican since day 1, debunk that shilly man.

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    1. No need to debunk something as insane and patently false as "the Moon is made of cheese".

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  8. Under what authority does the Federal Government own the lands it controls in the USA?

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    1. After the Revolution, the Federal Government made a deal with the various states: their territorial claims (outside of regular borders) in exchange for assuming their war debts. After that, any other land acquisitions (like the Louisiana Purchase) were all done by the Federal Government. So the Feds pretty much owned everything west of the Mississippi, and ceded land to settlers, which then gave rise to new states. So basically, the only land not originally owned by the Feds first (aside from the obvious native peoples), were the original 13 states.

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    2. There never was, nor did they ever have any authority. They secretly, and unlawfully, drafted a new Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation, which they were only supposed to amend. After that they achieved everything through the use of trickery & deceit.

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  9. I would like to get your thoughts on the information on this page:

    http://www.dtss.us/four-us-constitutions.html

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  11. This legal terminology is expressly and intentionally written in such a way as to allow for secret, eSoteric interpretations of the law. It's important the eXoteric interpretation can be logically defended, as you have done, in order to hide the actual eSoteric interpretation and the actual legal nature of government; not to accuse you because you may not be aware of this tactic which has been practiced for thousands of years.

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  12. Another example would be the Patriot Act....just google: secret interpretations of Patriot Act. Ultimately law means what power says it means.

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  13. BTW this isn't some crazy conspiratorial notion...the concept of secret interpretations of law is well known. Sometimes brave senators bitch about it on Capitol Hill.

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  14. Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you writing this write-up
    and also the rest of the site is also really good.
    Worcester Bankruptcy

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  16. Good grief.... Seriously?!

    This is an excerpt from a June 8, 1953, United States Supreme Court decision in “District of Columbia vs Thompson Co.”

    1. Under Art. I, 8, cl. 17 of the Federal Constitution, Congress had power to delegate its lawmaking authority to the Legislative Assembly of the municipal corporation created by the Organic Act of 1871 for the government of the District of Columbia. Pp. 104-110.

    There it is, at the very beginning. A reference made by the highest law in the land to the “CORPORATION” created by the “Organic Act of 1871.” There's no myth about it.

    Sometimes I have to shake my head and just stand in awe of the mass ignorance problem in America. A problem mainly created by racism & religion.

    And just to clarify, the US and USA are not the same creatures. The US refers to federal government whilst the USA refers to the 50 states respectively. This is why federal prosecutors are referred to as "United States District Attorneys," not "United States of America District Attorneys." And the "United States Attorneys Office" is the Chief Prosecutor for the United States (the Federal Government).

    And whether anyone likes it or not, there are in fact 2 Constitutions, both of which are illegitimate documents created the purpose of the federal dictatorship that we see today.

    The original Constitution was the Articles of Confederation. Talk of amending the Articles was continuously pushed by the federalists, so Congress approved the Constitutional Convention as a forum for the delegates to meet & confer. After negotiating a final draft of the agreed upon proposal was to be presented to for the approval by Congress Assembled.

    The Convention was granted specific authority to discuss an agreement of amendments to the Articles of Confederation. Nobody was given, nor had, any permission to dispose of the Articles or draft a whole new Constitution. Especially one drafted in secret that created a new government by masonic federalists with extreme bias towards federalism. In the real world, that's the definition of a "Coup d' Etat." Believe any fantasy you like but the truth is, it was an illegal, treasonous, usurpation of government & power.

    The only reason it was accepted is because the federalists made deceptive arguments and promises, whilst thrusting George Washington to the forefront of the Coupe, using his fame & notoriety to help gain acceptance & trust without questions.

    The trickery & deceit carefully embedded in the Constitution is seen from the very beginning, starting with "We The People." The "People" really refers to the political community, but gives the impression it refers to Citizens. Anyone with common sense and a decent IQ can clearly see references to different factions.

    Citizens, Militia and People are all referenced in their own right. The 2nd Constitution actually codifies the Property of the United States (Federal Government). When a President takes oath under Article II, they are swearing to protect and defend the "property of federal government." Article VI, the executive oath, would be the real oath to the actual "Office of President."

    None of this is rocket science. It doesn't require complicated opinions or understandings. Being smart enough to know that the politicians who chose to purposefully side step congressional requirements in creating a new & unauthorized government, in secret, only did so in looking out for themselves.

    Once you accept & understand the trickery & deceit, it all starts to make perfectly clear sense. These were wealthy & educated Politicians, well versed in the arts of Political language who didn't give a damn about the citizens. The Federal Government did exactly what Patrick Henry and non-federalists feared and predicted. They shifted the sovereignty and rights of a free people to the political class, made them 2nd class citizens and stripped them of money & land. NO MYTHS, NO LIES, NO BULLS#!T.

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  17. So how do we fix this mess?? What are the steps to bring us back to the original Constitution plus the Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments)? Because it does no good to eloquently describe the problem unless we come up with a solution.

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