Robert Reich and the Elimination of Corporate Criminal Liability

[marmar]

from the Corporate Crime Reporter, via CommonDreams:


Published on Friday, September 7, 2007 by Corporate Crime Reporter
Robert Reich and the Elimination of Corporate Criminal Liability
The Corporate Crime Reporter



Corporate income tax? Out.Corporate social responsibility? Out.

Corporate criminal liability? Out.

Milton Friedman? No.

Try Robert Reich.

Yes, the liberal, Robert Reich - Bill Clinton’s Secretary of Labor.

In his new book, Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy and Everyday Life (Knopf, 2007), Reich says corporate social responsibility is a diversion and an illusion, the corporate income tax is inefficient and inequitable, and corporate criminal liability is based on an anthropomorphic fallacy that hurts a lot of innocent people.

But with Reich, it’s a package deal.

Yes, he would eliminate corporate criminal liability. Yes he would get rid of the corporate income tax.

But he would also strip corporations of their constitutional rights.

“Corporations should have no more legal right to free speech, due process, or political representation in a democracy than do any other pieces of paper on which contracts are written,” he writes. “Legislators or judges who grant corporations such rights are not being intellectually honest, or they are unaware of the effects of supercapitalsim. Only people should possess such rights.”

Reich says that while supercapitalism delivers products galore at low, low prices to the American consumer - at the same time it undermines democracy by flooding the public arena with private lobbyists, cash, and corporate influence.

The cure?

Reich wants a bright line separation between the corporate and the public arenas.

In return, he’d zero out corporate criminal liability and the corporate income tax. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/09/07/3686/

[Megahurtz]

1. Holy Crap. n/t

[Demeter]

3. Still, It MIGHT Be Worth It

If corporations had NO say in elections or any governmental actions, they could be properly regulated. And we could have our elections back. They might end up wishing they paid taxes in the end.

[Megahurtz]

4. Well That's A Good Point For Sure

but considering the level of corruption with Corporations, They need to be held Criminally liable,
or else in that way they will be much more difficult to regulate.

[Demeter]

5. That Would Be My Sticking Point, Too

Although regulations imply criminal liabilities, sometimes

[cui bono]

2. "In return, he’d zero out corporate criminal liability and the corporate income tax."

In return for taking back what was never theirs to begin with? Good lord. :eyes:

[RogueBandit]

6. They'd take and not give

Politically impossible. They have too much power right now and are only willing to acquire more. Maybe take away their rights and then consider giving them something in return, but that would never happen.

[whoneedstickets]

7. i agree somewhat on the corporate tax...

..its inefficient. Tax the shareholders, tax dividends at the income tax rate (not 20% below) and tax capital gains. Then strip corporations of speech rights.