| We The People Congress | "The price of freedom is eternal
vigilance" |
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION under section 402 of the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED THAT: (1) The name of the corporation is: We The People Congress, Inc. (2) The corporation is a corporation as defined in subparagraph (a) (5) of section 102 (Definitions) of the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law. (3) The purpose or purposes for which the corporation is formed are as follows: The Corporation is established for the purpose of developing in the public forum, from the ordinary, non-aligned citizenry, a constituency committed to what Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to as a "militant, non-violent, mass-movement" with the goal of achieving substantial reforms in the structure and process of government in the State of New York, through constitutional means. It is universally accepted that the government of the State of New York is, for the most part, dysfunctional, non-responsive, non-representative and not accountable for its faults; it is "broken" and needs to be fixed. The incorporators recognize that the acknowledgment of popular sovereignty as a social and political force in the State of New York is a fundamental need and that this fundamental need may only be achieved through the medium of a people’s constitutional convention with all that implies. The incorporators also recognize that the requirements for changes in governmental structure and process may and probably will include, but not necessarily be limited to: increased accountability, ethics and efficiency; a non-partisan commission to determine the boundaries of the districts of state legislators; the adoption of a complete fiscal plan before the start of the ensuing fiscal year or the appropriation of any non-emergency funds for that fiscal year; the clarification and strengthening of public-debt-limiting restrictions; the clarification and strengthening of the prohibitions regarding the gifting of public funds for private purposes; legislature reform including the strengthening of representative democracy and participatory democracy; a reduction in and control over the cost and secrecy of the Legislature; easier access to the ballot for independents and party insurgents; tax simplification, fairness and reduction; weakening of the power of political parties and of government in general; weakening of the desire of special interests to influence legislative bodies; non-partisan elections; a judiciary that is more independent and accountable; and, laws which do not favor public education over private education. The incorporators believe these needed reforms are simply not possible through existing political and governmental processes due in large part to the control and influence the major political parties have over the selection and behavior of our legislators, governors and judges and the influence various special interests and monied institutions have over our political and governmental leaders, creating a virtual impossibility of reform. The Corporation will, by rational, intelligent and professional means: 1) make it difficult for those currently wielding political and governmental power to continue in power with a "business as usual" approach; and 2) lead the people of the state toward significant improvements in our system of governance, including the achievement of the reforms listed above. The Corporation is committed to achieving its purposes by all possible means short of civil disobedience and violence. The primary goal of the Corporation is for the people to assume command by ordering a constitutional convention in 1998, or as soon thereafter as possible, to achieve a state constitution which clearly demonstrates the principles of: natural rights; popular sovereignty; the equality of men; the origin and object of the government; separation of powers; the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances (without exception); the right of remonstrance and revolution, the public’s right to privacy; the public’s right to know; and "social values inculcated," among others. (4) The Corporation, in furtherance of its corporate purposes above set forth, shall have all the powers enumerated in section 202 of the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law, subject to any limitations provided in the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law or any other statute of the State of New York. (5) The Corporation shall be a Type A corporation pursuant to section 201 of the Not-For-Profit Corporation Law. (6) The initial Directors are: Robert L. Schulz, 2458 Ridge Road, Queensbury, New York 12804 Carol Cris, 2 High Hill Drive, Sound Beach, New York 11789 Philip Goldstein, 10 Rodney St., Pt. Jefferson Sta., New York 11776 Patricia A. Friedman, 175 Roxbury Road So., Garden City, New York 11530 Harvey Kash , 5 Hillside Avenue, Great Neck, New York 11021 Julia S. Gambino, 15 Dale Drive, Farmingdale, New York 11735 Pat Beldotti, 1 Marion Place, Millwood, New York 10546 Patricia Villanova, 14 West Avenue, Putnam Valley, New York 10579 William E. Haase, 42 Ervin Drive, Wappingers Falls, New York 12590 Dottie-Lou Brokaw, PO Box 66, Lake Hill, New York 12448 Fairlene G. Rabenda, 8 Claudia Lane, Poughkeepsie, New York 12603 Posr A. Posr, PO Box 1429, New York, New York 10009 Burr V. Deitz, 444 Whitehall Road, Albany, New York 12208 Keith W. McCart, RD#1 Box 211A, White Creek, New York 12057 A.J. Sweney, 749 Bay Street, Rochester, New York 14609 Marilyn Helen McDougall, 4528 Middle Reservation Road, Perry, New York 14530 Donald G. Hobel, 3767 Moyer Road, North Tonawanda, New York 14120 Carl Frank, 8905 Sheridan, Clarence, New York 14031 Charles A. Schiano, Sr., 3562 Lake Avenue, Rochester, New York 14612 (7) The office of the Corporation is to be located in the County of Washington, State of New York. (8) The Secretary of State is designated as agent of the Corporation on whom process may be served. The post office address to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any such process is: 2458 Ridge Road (9) No part of the income of the Corporation shall inure to the benefit of any member, trustee, director, officer of the Corporation, or any private individual (except that reasonable compensation may be paid for services rendered to or for the Corporation affecting one or more of its purposes), and no member, trustee, officer of the Corporation or any private individual shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of the corporate assets on dissolution of the Corporation. (10) The Corporation shall distribute its income for each taxable year at such time and in such manner as not to subject it to tax under Section 4942 of the internal Revenue Code of 1954; as amended, and the Corporation shall not (a) engage in any act of self-dealing as defined in Section 4941 (d) of the Code; (b) retain any excess business holdings as defined in Section 4943 (c) of the Code; (c) make any investments in such manner as to subject the Corporation to tax under Section 4944 of the Code; or (d) make any taxable expenditures as defined in Section 4945 (d) of the Code. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned incorporator, or each of them if there are more than one, being at least eighteen years of age, affirm(s) that the statements made herein are true under the penalties of perjury. SIGNED THIS DATE: November 24, 1997 Robert L. Schulz Burr V. Deitz Carol Cris Filed by: |