Corporations vs. the people

Published July 2, 2014

by Gary Pearce, Talking About Politics, July 1, 2014.

This is one of the oldest battles in our Republic. And you ain’t seen nothing yet.

 

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision ignites a battle over women’s health care, which will command center stage. But it’s really just part of the long-running battle over the proper relationship between corporations and the government/the people. (See Mitt Romney: “Corporations are people, my friend.”)

 

Corporations as we think of them today didn’t exist when the Constitution was written. They appeared In the early 19th Century, according to one history, as “bridge companies, water companies, transportation companies, banks, and insurance companies…essentially public service corporations or public franchises.”

 

After the Civil War came the first trusts: oil, steel, finance, cigarettes and the like. They dominated politics and government through the Gilded Age and into the 20th Century. Then came Trust Buster Teddy Roosevelt, who characteristically had a pretty clear view on the subject:

 

“We must have complete and effective publicity of corporate affairs, so that people may know beyond peradventure whether the corporations obey the law and whether their management entitles them to the confidence of the public. It is necessary that laws should be passed to prohibit the use of corporate funds directly or indirectly for political purposes; it is still more necessary that such laws should be thoroughly enforced. Corporate expenditures for political purposes, and especially such expenditures by public-service corporations, have supplied one of the principal sources of corruption in our political affairs”.

 

The anti-corporate wave ebbed in the Roaring Twenties, then came roaring back in the New Deal and Square Deal. From the 1950s on, corporations and big business worked their way back into the driver’s seat.

 

Now, the Supreme Court has held that corporations, like citizens, have the right to spend unlimited funds to influence elections and the right to religious views that overrule the law of the land.

 

Oy!

 

So here’s a safe prediction: The wheel will turn, as it always does in the cycles of history. There will be a turn against corporate power, especially given the growing economic gap between the top (CEOs, owners, mega-billionaires) and the rest of us.

 

Politics is like physics. For every action, there is (or will be) an equal and opposite reaction. It may start in the Democratic presidential contest next year. (Hillary Clinton, are you listening?) And it may dominate politics for decades to come.

 

But it’s coming.

 http://www.talkingaboutpolitics.com

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July 2, 2014 at 7:56 am
Bobby Poon says:

There are 2 kinds of rights according to constitutional scholar Barack Obama. First is a "negative" set of rights outlined by a few racist unenlightened slave holding, genocidal, dead white men. These are commonly called in ironical parentheses "The Bill of Rights" The 2nd set of rights (not recognized in the constitution} are "positive" rights which will produce fairness. equality and justice. These rights produce "equality" "fairness" rights to housing, healthcare, a decent wage and, apparently, free birth control, and, "all that other gobbledy-gook".* The "negative" rights hold that the government may not infringe on you the individual and must allow you to pursue your own happiness, dreams and ends unmolested by the government. The enlightened, reasonable, "common sense solutions" or Roosevelt's "positive" rights demand you surrender the fruits of your labor, your talents, your imagination to others who are wiser and fairer than you. In a sense you are simply a cog in a machine which belongs to the State. The State will determine what your contributions are worth and how to distribute the benefits of your labor. No doubt, if you are college educated (and believe in global warming) such fascist idealism is appealing. Lenin, Stalin , Obama, Clinton (Hillary) even, dare I say it...Mussolini agreed with the new left on the importance of the great and wise state guiding us proles to reach our greatest potential. To the ignorant unwashed like myself, being forced to provide some economic benefit to another, without my consent, is the definition of slavery. But, of course I cannot grasp the big picture. The Kardashians are on channel 846 and I must go. I hear Kim was upset on a trip to Vienna. Can't miss TV!

* Oh yeah, reference to a great movie of the Sixties, "Little Murders"

July 2, 2014 at 8:09 am
Richard Bunce says:

Corporateness is a red herring... the ACA did not require all non-profit corporations to comply with this regulation, just for profit corporations. So it is profitness that is the issue... typical of the left. So let me make a comparison... since you did not buy my breakfast this morning you must want me to starve. I buy my own healthcare policy so I can get the coverage I want. Your employer does not owe you healthcare insurance.

July 2, 2014 at 11:08 am
Norm Kelly says:

Since nobody can make positive statements like a lib, let me quote Gary: 'Politics is like physics. For every action, there is (or will be) an equal and opposite reaction'. This is exactly true. We can see this in recent politics and voting outcomes.

First, here in NC. Demoncrats ruled the state for over 100 years. In recent years, say the past 2-3 decades, the ruling class started telling lies to the ruled with total disregard for even trying to hide the lie. Take the statements from the ever-corrupt Gov Mike concerning the need for a lottery. Without the lottery, people would starve, kids would not have schools to attend, roads & bridges would collapse, etc. etc. etc. The list of negative events in our great state if we didn't have state-sponsored gambling, at the same time outlawing private gambling, was practically endless. The only item the ever-corrupt Gov Mike never claimed would be fixed by state-sponsored gambling was snow on the road. He never once predicted the proceeds from gambling would get rid of the snow. But otherwise...

Next lets look at the lie about the budget. For years, when the demons ruled Raleigh, we were told every year that the budget was cut to the bone, there was nothing left to cut. But spending went UP every year. Taxes and fees were repeatedly increased. When citizens were being penalized at the pump by ever increasing gas prices, the state decided that THEY couldn't afford NOT to raise the gas tax. The demons ruling Raleigh expressed exactly ZERO concern for how it would impact we citizens; the concern was ONLY that the state needed the funds. Even after raising taxes, fees, and 'cutting the budget to the bone', for several years in a row the state was going to be in the red as the end of the fiscal year approached.

Remember when Gov Mike stole money from every place possible to attempt to balance the 'cut to the bone' budget? He stole sales tax money from counties. He stole money from the E911 fund. He stole money from other special purpose funds and from one-time sources to pay for on-going expenses.

Remember all the demon politicians who were caught with their hands in the cookie jar? They were being prosecuted and found guilty, even while the N&D supported them and claimed them innocent of any wrong-doing. Not only were the guilty pols telling lies, but the media was going along with them.

The list of scams, schemes, lies, 'misinformation' which is lib speak for lies, deceit, and various other ways of attempting to keep citizens in the dark is quite long and I am not able to list all of them here. Two reasons: the list is too long for a single post AND my memory isn't good enough to keep track of all the misdeeds of the socialists among the elite leaders.

My point is exactly the same point Gary ends with. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. More voters were tired of the lies and schemes and cheating by the libs, so we voted in an alternative. And so far, for the most part, the alternatives are doing EXACTLY what they told us they would do during the campaigns. They have eliminated some of the 'temporary turned permanent' sales tax increases, they have cut other taxes, cut some regulation without destroying the environment, they have pushed forward with energy exploration, they are at least considering getting rid of the state 'incentives' programs for buying business expansion. There are other steps the alternatives are taking that are good for the future of the state. Keeping the central planners at bay is a good start. Paying back the $2BILLION debt created by the demons when they ruled Raleigh; as well as not borrowing even more money from the central planners. Implementing voter ID laws, along with other changes that are meant to start to bring confidence back to our elections process. Facts and figures, those things despised and ignored by libs/socialists, prove that voter ID does NOT impact blacks more negatively than any other group. Facts & figures also show that voter ID does not prevent blacks from voting or even cost them so much that they can't get to the polling place. Making our voting laws come closer in line to other states does NOT mean we are a racist state. If it did, the libs would be attacking some of the other states that are more restrictive than we remain. But the libs aren't attacking the other states because some of them prove their argument is WRONG (just like most everything libs do or stand for!). Take NY for instance. Much more restrictive than NC but not run by Republicans, so not an issue. Libs WILL NOT point out that their party, allies, friends are more racist and restrictive than those darn pesky racist white-guy Republicans in the Jim Crowe south!

When given an alternative to socialism, more people choose freedom than choose slavery. When you want to take control of my life, take my 'stuff' from me for the purpose of giving it to someone who hasn't earned it, then I start to rebel. And the way American citizens rebel is at the voting booth. We decided, the majority of us, that the socialists had been given reign long enough and it was time for a direction change. Libs don't like it. Race-baiters, like the buffet slayer, don't like it. But their arguments can be easily proven wrong. In the case of VIVA, voter ID, other changes it IS the libs, socialists, and buffet slayers that are showing themselves to be the racists, the bigots. Who believes that blacks actually are capable of acquiring a picture ID? Who believes that blacks actually are capable of getting themselves to the voting place? Who is it that believes blacks are capable of getting to the voting place in 8, 10, 11 or so days of voting? Remember, it's the libs/socialists/racist buffet slayers that are telling you blacks are incapable. Next time someone like Gary or the Rev tells you that blacks can't do (pick a topic/category/activity), this is a racist position to take. Next time someone like Tillis tells you that blacks are as capable as ANY OTHER citizen of the state, this is NOT a racist position, it's an acknowledgement that people are people and should be treated like ALL people.

Elections and actions have consequences. It's just that libs don't like that their actions had negative consequences for them! I expect the lies, misinformation, and posturing about Republicans to continue and the normal media sources will definitely NOT be the place to get accurate information. Ignore the political news on WRAL. Ignore the N&D. Not just the editorials, the campaign endorsements, but the N&D in it's entirety. They are biased, and it sometimes shows up in their 'news' stories. Their editorial page more often than not appears to be written by the Demon party leadership, unquestionably supports/endorses the socialist party stance, and almost never supports the majority of NC residents. Find another source of information before you go to the voting booth next time. And watch the person in front of and behind you in line - cuz until the picture ID becomes effective, they will continue to try to vote fraudulently. Remember, it's the libs who want us to 'see something, say something'. This applies to the voting place as well. Catch them at their own game, and call them on it.