There’s an old story about Ben Franklin and the founding of our country. In 1787, delegates met in private in Philadelphia’s Independence Hall to draft a new Constitution. Throughout the Constitutional Convention, citizens gathered anxiously around the hall awaiting the results. When Ben Franklin finally exited, a citizen asked, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” “A republic,” Franklin responded “if you can keep it.”

The idea is that “we the people” share a common duty and responsibility to manage our affairs and our resources. But the truth is, we’re at risk of losing our republic.

In a series of Supreme Court rulings, a radical group of activist justices perverted the Constitution by declaring that corporations have the same rights as people and that money is free speech. But corporations are not people. They are legal entities and economic tools designed to maximize profit. Corporations are excellent for the economy. But they should not have the power to create and dictate laws. Money is not speech, it’s property. And in politics, because of lax campaign finance and lobbying laws, money is used to buy access and power.

[SEE: Political Cartoons]

As a result of the Supreme Court’s rulings, our representatives depend more and more on big dollar donors and less on voters. According to a recent study by professors at Princeton and Northwestern, our representatives are more responsive to wealthy people than average citizens. Our government resembles more of a plutocracy – rule by the wealthy – than a Constitutional republic.

That’s why I started the StampStampede.org. The First Amendment protects the right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The Stampede is a petition on steroids. We’re stamping messages such as “Corporations Are Not People — Amend the Constitution” on dollar bills in order to tap into the viral circulation of money and create a cumulative mass visual demonstration of support for a constitutional amendment that declares: Money is not speech; corporations are not people.

We need to reclaim our republic and restore our constitution. Thankfully, the final veto rests with the people.

[MORE: Cartoons about Congress]

While a Constitutional amendment may seem impossible, it’s not. We’ve done it 27 times before and we will do it again. So far, 16 states, more than 550 cities and towns and more than 150 members of Congress support an amendment. On Sept. 8, a number of national groups submitted more than 3 million petition signatures to the Senate in support of the amendment. On Sept. 11, 54 Senators voted in favor. That wasn’t the two-thirds needed to move the bill forward. But it is a significant step towards success. And this amendment campaign is just getting started.

In 1902, the women’s suffrage movement carved “give votes to women” in the English penny. That penny was later chosen as one of 100 objects to tell the story of human history. The English penny is the story of people power, the story of people joining together to demand and win a more just government. In the 20th century, we saw the promise of the Declaration of Independence fulfilled in the expansion of voting rights. In the 21st century, we need to preserve the fundamental principle of one person one vote that has been distorted by the influence of big money.

