The Rise of Corporations

Back in 2002, of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 were corporations! Only 49 were countries. That's a staggering statistic and it's over a decade ago! Imagine what it would be now!

How did corporations get this much power? I didn't know this, but a Supreme Court ruling in 1886 relying on the 14th amendment actually said that a corporation is a "Natural Person" with rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. From that point, corporations have been using that guarantee to politics and make sure they had freedom to grow their profits. (Actually, that's not true. But a court reporter published it that way.)

Are corporation inherently bad things for our society? No, but, we must recognize their goals are often in conflict with ours. For example, consider how corporate ownership of the media has limited the average citizen from having complete knowledge of the world around us. They carefully select what information we are being fed. Very few of us look more broadly for information. Many just swallow and regurgitate that the media tells them on an issue.

In addition to corporate control of our media, consider how they use media to enhance consumerism. They create the products, then, create in us the desire to acquire them.

Corporations have unequal rights. Why do they have rights that small, unincorporated businesses don't? Or Unions? According to the above referenced link, Thom Hartmann in an article,  "DINOSAUR WAR", in The Ecologist, December/January 2002, explained that the 1886 Supreme Court ruling never happened! It was a fiction created by a court reporter! Hartmann goes on to explain that the Chief Justice at the time sent a note to the court reporter stating that the court had in fact ruled the opposite regarding corporate person hood! Regardless, no one can refute that the power and influence of corporations has risen to incredible levels in our modern economy.

Then, on January 21, 2010, the Supreme Court of the United States actually did rule in the Citizens United case that corporations have same free speech rights as individuals.
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC


As citizens, it is our duty and obligation to be aware of corporate influences and demand that our elected representatives at EVERY level of government pass law to regulate and check their insatiable quest for more and more profit at the expense of everything we hold dear.

An Imperfect Melding

How did the anti-government, conservative wing of the Republican party get so cozy with corporate America? That is the question David Niose tackles in chapter 4 of his book, FIGHTING BACK THE RIGHT-Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason. Chapter Four is titled, "Boomer Bust". In it Niose describes the melding of the religious right with conservative politics. Once that was complete, Niose believes, some politicians began to feel and to act on asserting their religion into their politics, missing opportunities to speak to the idea of mixing religion and politics.

Where do the Boomer's fit in to the picture? Born between 1946 and 1964, this important demographic helped shape American culture and politics. I am a baby boomer. I had a great childhood with parents who gave me material comforts that they themselves had missed. Other boomers may have rebelled a bit as they grew up questioning societal values and norms, but, I was more traditional and chose the values of my parents.  Most of the boomers ended up conforming to the system as well. As we aged, most boomers drifted away from Liberalism. Hence the opening for the religious right to gain momentum in politics.

It seems that unregulated corporatism would be antithetical to the religious right. Corporations are inherently materialistic and survive on a consumer-based economy. Religions teach that spiritual goods are more important than material goods. Yet, somehow the two, unregulated corporatism and religion, became, as Niose puts it, "powerful bedfellows."
Here's what Niose says about the melding, "Fortunately for corporate interests, fundamentalist Christians by and large have little trouble reconciling their theology with a modern, materialistic lifestyle." Think Joel Olsteen, who preaches that "God wants you to prosper and have plenty of money."

I plan future posts on unregulated corporatism as I truly believe this is an inherently evil force in our society that we must confront and combat.

Corporations are People?? Part 1

Corporations are people says Mitt Romney. Well, if they are, then, they have no souls! I've been reading David Niose' new book, FIGHTING BACK THE RIGHT-Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason. In chapter three, he tells about the early use of corporations to pool individual money for a project while limiting individual liability. In the early days of America, corporations were formed to build things. Now, they've morphed into profit making entities that have no souls.

Niose tells how Milton Friedman, whom he calls an icon of American libertarianism, "pointed out that officers who direct corporate assets toward charity are breaching their fiduciary duty unless they can show that doing so somehow adds to the corporate bottom line." Here's a link:  http://www.umich.edu/~thecore/doc/Friedman.pdf

Increasing profits is the one and only goal of corporations. All their decisions are based on that one guiding principal. They don't consider what is good for the consumer unless the corporation is somehow benefited in the long term. Think tobacco companies or automobile recalls.

Now, we have gigantic corporations which are owned by other corporations. The problem being that real human ownership is now very far removed from the typical corporate "person". Niose tells of General Electric as a prime example. According to him, the largest institutional investors hold over 400 million shares each. He says even the 20th largest institutional investor holds over 70 million shares. There isn't a single human shareholder that comes close to that number.

Niose does not suggest that the corporate model be thrown out. But, he emphatically asserts that dismantling of government regulations is not an answer.

The reality is that we need institutions and corporations. Regulating their activities, however, Niose asserts is NOT socialism. We need rational, independent thinking that questions authority. We progressives are free thinkers and we can deliver, he says, but we have been suppressed for over three decades. Stay tuned for more in next post.

Did You Know?

Did you know that disabled veterans are currently being penalized by a statute that requires a dollar for dollar offset of military retirement pay for VA disability compensation? So if a VET is getting a military pension and disability benefit they are having their earned pension reduced by the amount of disability compensation they receive. Think about that for a minute. They earned their pension, they became disabled serving our country, and now they lose money from their pension. How fair is that?

This issue needs to be addressed in our Congress. Last year, the 113th Congress had a bill, HR333, with 130 cosponsors (87 Democrats and 33 Republicans) There is a Facebook page that addresses the concerns of these Veterans:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chapter-61-Military-Disabled-Retirees/287855611230152

Now, the issue has been introduced into the 114th Congress. It was introduced on January 13, 2015 by Rep. Bilirakis (R) of Florida and is HR303. It has been referred to the Committee on Armed Services and to the Committee on Verterans' Affairs. https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/303/cosponsors

If you think our Congress should remedy this issue, then please contact members of those two committees and ask for action on HR303. You can find them here:  http://www.house.gov/committees/

How to Know Which Media to Trust

How do you decide which media to trust? As more media outlets are owned by just a few corporations, Americans really need a guide to help them decide what is trustworthy information. I found an article by Tom Rosenstiel, President of the American Press Institute, where he suggests six questions to ask to determine the trustworthiness of a news source. http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/six-critical-questions-can-use-evaluate-media-content/

The Pew Research Center posted a report on a project that sheds light on the political polarization in America today. It is well worth a careful read:  http://www.journalism.org/2014/10/21/political-polarization-media-habits/  One big take away from the article is that Liberals get their information from a variety of sources; where Conservatives tend to rely mainly on Fox.

Here are Rosenstiel's six questions to ask yourself:  1. What type of content is this?

2. Who and what are sources cited and why should I believe them?

3. What is the evidence and how was it vetted?

4. Is the main point of the piece proven by the evidence?

5. What's missing?

6. Am I learning everyday what I need?

If you like these questions and find them useful, then please consider a careful read of his article linked above.

Pat Taylor Fuller is an Editor for Progressive Democrats - Moving Forward, Not Back 

https://www.facebook.com/ProgressiveDemocratsMovingForwardNotBack

Find us on Twitter at @PDMFNB and see our Hashtag there: #PDMFNB.

Why We Need Unions

I've been a supporter of unions and a union member most of my life. I believe in them and know they are good for workers and good for America. I was thrilled last week when our President said in the State of the Union address that we need laws that strengthen unions. http://peoplesworld.org/call-for-stronger-labor-law-first-for-obama-on-national-television/

I once had a conversation with a CEO about teacher's wages. He asked what I thought and I told him! I reminded him I had over 20 years in education and a Master's degree yet my husband, a machine repairman at Caterpillar always made more money than I did. The Ceo's response was that his higher wage was because of the UAW. You see, they wouldn't have paid him more unless they HAD to!

When states weaken laws that protect workers, they set up companies to be able to reduce workers' incomes and benefits. How can that possibly be good for the economy? It might be good for corporate profits, but in the end, they are "killing the goose that laid the golden egg."

If you believe our President is right about strengthening unions, then please let your elected officials at state and Federal levels know you support unions and laws that protect them.

Pat Taylor Fuller is an Editor for Progressive Democrats - Moving Forward, Not Back, and she has a blogspot named Pat's Commentary
http://pageposts1123.blogspot.com/

Find us on Twitter at @PDMFNB and see our Hashtag there: #PDMFNB.

Everybody Knows that Climate Change is Real

Just this week our Senate voted to affirm scientific theory regarding climate change. Of course, it then voted that it wasn't our fault. I wonder if that vote had anything to do with the $56 million that gas and oil companies gave in campaign monies. "According to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, oil and gas interests in the most recent election cycle (2013-14) gave about $56 million to the campaigns of parties, candidates and outside interest groups. The overwhelming preponderance of this money went to Republicans and outside interest groups favoring Republicans."
 http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2015/01/23/379242432/senate-says-climate-change-real-but-not-really-our-fault?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=politics&utm_medium=social&utm_term=nprnew

Am I being cynical or realistic? In the State of the Union (SOTU) address last Tuesday, the President reminded us of the historic agreement he'd reached with China: "In Beijing, we made an historic announcement – the United States will double the pace at which we cut carbon pollution, and China committed, for the first time, to limiting their emissions."   I hope that both countries live up to the accord.
 http://www.vox.com/2015/1/20/7864149/state-of-the-union-2015-policy

If the American people really did like what the President had to say in the #SOTU , then they will support his agenda by letting their elected representatives know that.