Bizarre State of Amused Horror: Corporations Taking Over for Government

[EV_Ares]

A. Alexander, September 14th, 2007

One bears witness in a bizarre state of amused horror. A few weeks ago, the New York Times reported that the former CEO of Citigroup had proudly insisted that corporations were taking over for the government. Sadly, he is correct. However, if he or anyone believes that corporations can deliver comparable services more efficiently and at less cost, they're delusional.

The belief that CEOs are geniuses and that corporations are the epitome of democratic values and fiscal prowess is absurd as it is false. The myth, of course, is produced and propagated by corporations themselves. The illusion is reinforced by the likes of EXXON.

EXXON and big oil control the vast majority of the world's oil supply. Understanding that and realizing that neither the Bush administration, nor a bought-n-paid-for Congress would stand in their way, EXXON et al. tripled the price of gasoline -- blaming it on so-called global insecurity -- and started raking in annual profits that exceed $30 billion. That's business genius, right? That's oh-so efficient, right? Wrong!

What EXXON and its friends in big oil have done is nothing short of robbery and extortion. They control the market; they know they control the market; they know the consumer is helpless; they know the consumer needs gasoline just to get to work -- in order to access their very livelihood -- so EXXON uses that leverage to take money from the helpless and the hopeless.

How exactly, is what EXXON and big oil are doing to be considered genius, democratic, or a model of fiscal efficiency?

(entire article @ following link)

http://www.progressivedailybeacon.com/more.php?page=opinion&id=1674

[MichiganVote]

1. Well its certainly the case that they think they own the treasury.

[zeemike]

2. Even if they could do it better it is not Democratic

A democratic government is of the people by the people and for the people.
Corporations are not people but a collection of wealthy and influential peoples. A government by corporations is the very definition of Fascism.

[Lint Head]

3. End corporate rights now! There is no free market.

Capitalism is a farce. The choices for the consumer is not there or barely there. For example, the consumer choices that would alleviate global warming is not there. The market is totally controlled. Mega corporations eat the little guy for lunch every day. Soldiers and civilians are dying for the corporation every day. People are thrown into jail by the corporation. The corporation can injure anyone and the price they pay is very little compared to their over profits. There is no such thing as a business tax. You pay Exxon's business taxes. You pay the taxes for the corporation in every place you shop. It s into the price of goods.
In think it should be illegal for businesses to pass taxes along to the consumer. It is just the price of doing business.:dem:

[skids]

4. I've worked for the state, and for private industry...

...they are both just as foobar as each other.

And this bogus pervasive bullcrap about the almighty "competition" being at the root of everything good seems to ignore that it is perfectly possible to have competition in government agencies, it just generally isn't done because the idea of having redundant services isn't very popular with the taxpayers. If they wanted to, say, have two competing FEMAs which get reviewed every year and have their budgets, territory, leadership, and staff cut or expanded on a performance basis, that could be technically done.

I think competing government services should be available in important industries and set the bar over which corporations must perform to be truly competitive. Of course, that would only be a productive thing if we had people running the government who were not actively trying to "drown it in the bathtub" for fun and profit.