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Forum Post: Corporations are not people; corporate money out of politics

Posted 13 years ago on Oct. 9, 2011, 1:39 p.m. EST by partOfTheSolution7 (51) from Chapel Hill, NC
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

Wall Street is what we made it; they are not the enemy. We need to 'Occupy' wall street in that we need to make wall street work for the us, not the other way around. To get there, we need to get the corporate money out of politics, so that regular citizens can participate in government.

22 Comments

22 Comments


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[-] 2 points by atki4564 (1259) from Lake Placid, FL 13 years ago

True, " we need to make wall street work for us", and although I'm all in favor of taking down today's ineffective and inefficient Top 10% Management Group of Business & Government, there's only one way to do it – by fighting bankers as bankers ourselves. Consequently, I have posted the Strategic Legal Policies, Organizational Operating Structures, and Tactical Investment Procedures necessary to do this at:

http://getsatisfaction.com/americanselect/topics/on_strategic_legal_policy_organizational_operational_structures_tactical_investment_procedures

Join

http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/StrategicInternationalSystems/

if you want to support a Presidential Candidate Committee at AmericansElect.org in support of the above bank-focused platform.

[-] 1 points by gallerydavid (10) 13 years ago

On the one hand it would be nice if everybody in the world had the same comfortable standard of living as we in the West.

It would be even nicer if we could all enjoy that lifestyle as it existed for us the 99% in say around 1980.

However the 1% decided it would be necessary to let alot of the air out of that Middle Class baloon, in essence bringing us all down to the level of the rest of the world, rather than bringing them up to our level.

The reason? Why the need to increase profits and 15% annual quarterly profit growth demanded by Wall Street Corporations.

Corpotations dont get hungry, they dont get sick, or tired, or grow old. But they have been able to buy themselves the designation of a "person" under the US Law with the help of some very clever and high priced lawyers.

A "person" who does not grow hungry, tired, sick, or old is a person to be feared. When that person is not a real living person, and has no soul, and is interested in nothing but profit, regardless of the human cost, we have created what may be considered a threat to the public good by some.

When that non living corporate entity has effectively bought and paid for the Government of the very people whos "public good" the government is charged with protecting, we have a dis-connected political situation that is bound to become imbalanced.

Although the 1% effectively control the major media outlets, word on the the street is a lot the 99% of "folks" dont really believe much of what they are being told by the 1%.

[-] 1 points by NoMatter (45) 13 years ago

Corporations don't do anything without capital investment of their owners and management by, or at the behest of, their owners. You are missing the boat. Everything done wrong is done by certain people. Those people must be targeted.

[-] 1 points by partOfTheSolution7 (51) from Chapel Hill, NC 13 years ago

I think if we simply pin this problem on a few individuals, we will give the banking industry a convenient way out and they will gladly hand us a few scapegoats. What they really fear is real reform of the laws so that this could not happen again.

[-] 1 points by NoMatter (45) 13 years ago

If you pin it on none, then, nothing will change. If you pin it on corporations, they will continue without incorporating. Incorporating is not a condition that is necessary to promote a plan of corruption.

[-] 1 points by partOfTheSolution7 (51) from Chapel Hill, NC 13 years ago

Incorporating gives investors the protection of limited liability. Without the shield of a corporation, shareholder would be personally liable for the sins of the corporation and its officers.

[-] 1 points by NoMatter (45) 13 years ago

Yes, and it encourages risk-taking and investment. There used to be legal doctrines that carried more force to deal somewhat with this issue. The corporate veil could be pierced if there was inadequate capitalization to cover reasonably anticipated corporate liability.

But, yes, I can agree that the world does not NEED corporations. However, consider that, without them, there would still be plenty of mischief to go around due to concentrated wealth and its influence.

[-] 1 points by littleg (452) 13 years ago

Exactly!

[-] 1 points by dubbad (22) 13 years ago

We need to expand to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and take our message to President Obama! Congress also needs to hear us. They both have the power to change things. Things that they created

[-] 1 points by eric1 (152) from Corona, CA 13 years ago

Corporations are GROUPS of people working towards a common goal. Most corporations make less than a million a year. The big conglomerates though are an entirely different animal. You need to distinguish between the two. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

[-] 1 points by partOfTheSolution7 (51) from Chapel Hill, NC 13 years ago

I agree. You could safely distinguish between small companies and large companies.

[-] 1 points by ms3000 (253) 13 years ago

All these problems can be solved if we get corporate bribery out of politics. that is the first step. https://sites.google.com/site/the99percentdeclaration/

[-] 1 points by mattthecapitalist (157) 13 years ago

Corporations are comprised of individuals.

[-] 1 points by gallerydavid (10) 13 years ago

"Comprised" Now youre just playing word games!

Corporations are non living legal entities, Individuals merely work for or inhabit the corporation like bees inhabiting a Hive.

The corporation is the Hive, the Bees are the Indivuals, and the Honey, well its just too obvious isnt it.

Do Bees Comprise a Bee Hive? word games

[-] 1 points by partOfTheSolution7 (51) from Chapel Hill, NC 13 years ago

Many thanks to unended, for the article link. http://www.corporatepolicy.org/issues/corppurpose.pdf. In short, it can help us understand how to change the rules governing corporations so that they better serve the common good.

The short version of the article is that corporations are granted special privileges, and in return for those privileges, the government can require certain behavior. One huge privilege given to investors is they are granted liability protection for anything the corporation does. This is a huge benefit, and goes beyond what a simple club of individuals enjoys. Individuals are accountable; if corporations are to be treated as individuals, then their investors should be accountable.

The solution is to move from state chartered corporations to federally chartered. It is a very good read for those wanting to rein in the power of corporations.

[-] 1 points by unended (294) 13 years ago

Corporations are extensions of government.

See: http://www.corporatepolicy.org/issues/corppurpose.pdf

[-] 1 points by mattthecapitalist (157) 13 years ago

it is a tragedy... corporations should not be regulated by government in any away.

[-] 1 points by gadflydigital (180) from Wantagh, NY 13 years ago

Conglomerates shouldn't exist.

[-] 1 points by unended (294) 13 years ago

That doesn't make sense. Corporations are government.

[-] 1 points by mattthecapitalist (157) 13 years ago

Corporations are not government.

[-] 1 points by unended (294) 13 years ago

Yes they are. They are endowed with power by the government via a charter. Corporations have historically been understood as extensions of government power and only relatively recently has that changed (which was done for the purpose of entrenching the political and economic power of those who control corporations). This isn't subject to rational debate.

See: http://www.corporatepolicy.org/issues/corppurpose.pdf