Our Corporate Society

A letter from someone on Thom Hartman's Blog:

We have a corporate society right now: It isn’t a bumper sticker!

we have lead painted toys that are given a deadline on the shelf – not a destruct date
we have labels that don’t tell us that a drug was made in China – or an option to get one made in the USA instead
we had over a hundred people die due to the bad heparin formula – it gets a small article in mainstream media
we have carcinogens dumped into our air and water but too little regulation to clean up or stop it
we have BPA in plastic while Europe does not because our laws protect corporations instead of people
we have clean coal commercials when it doesn’t exist because its ok to lie in american media without being called out
we have decades in which states have been competing with each other to get a corporation in their area
we have decades in which states have been competing to give up revenue, give up consumer protections,
and offering special protections for the corporation, including some liability exceptions
we have local, state and federal levels giving tax cuts, tax exemptions, write-offs, and special perks,
we have local, state and federal levels being blackmailed into giving up rights and protections for people as consumers and workers but the media, 85% owned by 5 corporations, does not report the effects on american citizens
we have local, state and federal levels losing revenue from corporations keepin their profits outside the USA to avoid their share of taxes which is picked up by regular citizens and goes unreported as the cause
small businesses are overwhelmed by special privileges given to their big competitors
small businesses are overwhelmed by red tape that is easily handled by big competitors which encourage its implementation
we have farmers being sued because copyrighted seeds were dropped by birds or blown by the winds onto their farm
we have farmers unable to use their own seeds because a corporation was allowed to copyright them
we have corporations putting in copyrights for plants and trees unmodified by science
we have seen the housing market bubble and burst, where good loans were bypassed, oversight removed, and then repackaged to fleece even more investors
we have seen wall street and bankers get bailed out and give billions in bonuses while allowed to continue their gambling practices
we have seen corporations commit first degree murder and get fined – the only punishment available
we have seen corporations use their erroneously given rights to knowingly harm people
we have seen the media go from vibrant to silly because the reporters checks are signed by a corporate CEO who tells them what to say, backed by a court saying there is no law requiring reporters or journalists to be truthful.
we have seen monopolies increase and debt charged to the entity that was purchased putting it in jeopardy
we have seen out sourcing of American manufacturing and jobs to cheaper locations, not for superior products
we hear that America needs to be RESTORED to a third world country status – for workers
we have seen vibrant businesses bought up, their assets sold, and their doors closed by profiteers
we hear that Americans need to give up privacy to be free, to give up rights to private email, internet and phones
we hear that privatization is required for jobs once done by the military, so we can pay more for less
so no draft is setup that would make people take notice of this change, so we can be fleeced by bad service,
crimes, leaks of sensitive information all while based in tax havens or OFC (Offshore Financial Centre) to avoid
paying taxes to the USA while paid by the USA.
we have corporations dumping thalidomide, which caused birth defects, because any drugs can be dumped in a disaster area and written off
when mexican truck drivers were allowed into the US – there was no screaming heard from American truckers in the American press because the corporate media benefitted from that action
we have farmers in foreign countries forced to compete with dumping by American corporations getting subsidies, which undermines the economy, jobs and self-sustaining abilities of places like Haiti, Mexico and other places too poor to fight big money
we have a Superfund set up to clean up air and water pollution, which has been modified so it is paid by taxpayers instead of the companies that caused the problems
we are told by propaganda that regulation is communism – not that it protects consumers – citizens – from criminals
we are told by propaganda that union are evil – a good worker needs no rights – but the CEO has a contract!
we get propaganda from the Chamber of Commerce that American workers are lazy and overpaid – becasue their are many ‘front’ groups that protect corporate views and profits in our front yard.
we have GATT/WTO, NAFTA and G20 treaties that give corporations rights that override the Constitution and allow a corporation to sue a government
while Unions have been fighting for Americans against foreign dumping it gets little to no notice in our corporate media. When the unions win a case it is put on the Presidents desk to react – the presidents choice to act or not.
we had a company making magnets requried in smart bombs sold to the chinese and the manufacturing plant packed up and sent to China along with the copyright – not stopped by Democratic or Republican presidents
while corporations have an interest in profits, it is not in their scope to protect the USA, but their money determines if a politian gets elected – so we have fewer and fewer politicians interested in protecting America, fewer voting to pass legislation required to protect America – a myopic condition threatening our country right now
while corporations have seen greater gains in rights and power, Americans have seen wages lowered for most
illegal aliens are used as scapegoats to fuel hatred – so they are blamed for the lower wages
legal aliens are brought in thru the front door helping to keep American wages low, legislation renewed
we’ve seen mr greenspan apologize for believing that the market would level itself – when it destroyed all the small fish instead and created corporations ‘too big to fail’
we’ve seen mr greenspan explain that keeping workers number high keeps the wages low = protecting corporations – through numerous presidents
illegal aliens can be paid less to keep costs low, corporations getting caught claim they didn’t know – repeatedly
legal aliens can be brought in to keep costs low – H1B Visas – used in fields that can’t be outsourced
we are told Americans won’t do that job – when Americans won’t do that job for below poverty wages but will be poop scoopers and anything else it takes to make a living
we are told that fast food places aren’t hiring our teens because the minimum wage is too high when they are hiring Dad instead who is much more reliable and can’t find a job after being out-sourced to China, India or elsewhere
we are told that we must compete with third world nations – because we cost to much to pay when it is because …

tariffs used to protect American workers in America and pay for government funding to keep taxes non-existent or low
tariffs are now villified as harming America – when it is corporations that benefit from this change – not workers
tariffs are still high for imports in countries that protect their own workers – like China, Japan, Germany, etc.
buy american was removed from the ‘reinvestment’ plan in america — but not the plan in CHINA
VAT – value added tax – was also used to keep American jobs safe — now we export resources, not products

we have foreign corporations dumping products in the USA to destroy our existing business and only an action by the president can be taken to stop it, Bush received 5 cases but took no action, Obama has reacted to the first occurrence (tire industry). Why should it take presidential action? Why should ‘business’ overrule government?
Can you fight Exxon? Walmart? General Electric?

Teabaggers — the original tea partiers were fighting against a law that allowed only one company to sell tea within the colonies. A monopoly given by Great Britain to the East India Company was used to fleece colonists. So many businesses in the USA today are near monopolies that this is a current horror story in all our lives. Fleecing America and Americans!

Now the corporations have MORE power! MORE! Now foreign nations can use subsidiaries to have their very own ‘free speech’ in American politics!