Death by Corporation: America's Corporate Deathstar

[Triana]

Instead of protecting US citizens, the Obama administration is enabling the ultimate corporate "Deathstar." The TransPacific Partnership will allow corporations "virtually unchecked control of our food supply, our land, air, water, wallets and our future."

A few days ago I was contacted by someone in the EPA and told that I had been nominated to be a potential recipient of an award from the White House, a "Champion of Change" on the issue of the public health consequences of global warming. To find out if I had received one of the awards, which sounded like the Heisman Trophy of public health/environmental do-gooderism, I was asked to fly back to Washington - at my own expense, thank you "Sequester" - with other nominees to attend a ceremony/panel discussion on the issue. I bought my plane ticket, attended the conference, but did not receive the "Climate Heisman." In fact, ironically, because of extreme (global warming) weather disrupting plane flights throughout the Midwest, the whole experience degenerated into a travel nightmare.

The White House staffers who ran the conference seemed like sincere people, trying to work within the system to back us away from the cliff of a climate crisis. But key here is "within the system." It turns out the clean break that must be made from the dirty energy corporations, including those fracking for natural gas, won't happen in time, or perhaps ever, because "within the system" refers to a state where the profitability of those powerful corporations has supremacy over a livable climate and the survival of much of the human race.

In Parts I and II of Mankind: Death by Corporation, we looked briefly at what amounts to ruthless, psychopathic behavior of our largest corporations spanning most major industries. But aided and abetted by "sincere" government officials, corporations are working behind the scenes, rapidly assembling the corporate "Death Star" to be unleashed upon citizens throughout the world, allowing them virtually unchecked control of our food supply, our land, air, water, wallets and our future.

THE REST:
http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/18115-mankind-death-by-corporation-part-iii-the-tpp-as-corporate-deathstar

[gtar100]

1. So corporate rule appears to be the inevitable replacement of

the nation. We've gone through tribes, tribal alliances, family rule, empires, kingdoms, and nations. It appears that the merchant class is still looking to break free of any bonds to governance and be the governing body itself. Trouble is, they can't see beyond their own selfish interests so pity those of us who are not so keen on the rules they make. And it couldn't come at a worse time for the world of humanity. They are more apt to kill us all for the last breadcrumb than they are at finding balance again with the nature that makes their very existence even possible.

[silvershadow]

2. Well if people can be greedy and self-serving, then corporations can magnify that to the nth degree.

And, as has been demonstrated thus far, they will to the extent possible. I saw this coming when they started becoming "multi-national", whatever that word is supposed to obfuscate. I'm not sure that word even was in our lexicon prior to a couple of decades ago. NAFTA ushered it's use in, but maybe it was there prior.

[Triana]

4. Corporate rule is the replacement of our government. . . a coup.

Instead of a government of, by, and for the people, we have a only a thin pretense of that left. What we have now is a government of, by and for the corporations and Wall St. There will be no saving lives or the planet when profits take precedence.

It's why "Elysium" (though "science fiction&quot busted the box office this weekend. People know what we're up against. We may not have gotten as far into it as the film depicts - but if nothing changes, that's probably similar to where we're going.

[L0oniX]

8. Atlas Shrugged 1 & 2 were more of the idea of corporate rule government. n/t

[RevStPatrick]

5. You just said something that I've been thinking about for years now...

...and that I think is key to what is wrong in our society:

"It appears that the merchant class is still looking to break free of any bonds to governance and be the governing body itself."

Exactly.
The merchant class wants to be the governing class.
And ONLY so that nobody can tell them what to do.
They aren't good at governing, because they aren't interested in governing.
You need a different skill set, and a different mind set.
Having the merchant class run things is NOT going to end well for anyone.
Not even for them.
Unfortunately, they are not smart enough to understand this.

It doesn't take much more than determination to make lots of money.
I know a few rich people who are dumb as a post, but they think they are masters of the universe because they came up with whatever idea they had to get rich, and then followed through with it.
I can always tell when a rich person is dumb as a post, when they say "if YOU are so smart, why aren't you rich?"

That's a dead give-away...

[GiaGiovanni]

11. Good points, all

.

[raouldukelives]

3. K&R! As always, be sure to thank an investor. They literally couldn't do it without them.

Talk about leaving a legacy. Willingly, even happily and in the most extreme of cases, proudly.
For all they do, this climates for you.

[L0oniX]

6. In other words food grown here will be sold to the highest bidder which may not be here.

Isn't it already that way? So when will they be posting armed guards/military around the farms and water supplies?

[Avalux]

7. BP is suing the government after they killed people and received a slap on the wrist.

Can't throw a corporation in jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter, right? So the EPA filed an injunction to keep BP from receiving future drilling contracts.

BP is pissed - so what if their business practices killed people, animals, and destroyed the surrounding environment? They're beyond government regulation, and will probably succeed in having the injunction lifted.

This is our America.

[bluedeathray]

9. Our elected leaders no longer protect us

From the corporate consumption of our planet, and the resulting destruction of it.

Instead they participate in the greed. Creating laws that favor the wealthy, while lining their own pockets.

This will mean eventual rule of the corporation, and the continuing degradation of all that sustains us.

There's only one conclusion to be drawn. Unless we turn this around.

[Triana]

10. We can't pay them enough to protect us. n/t

[cprise]

12. I don't see how we can afford more neoliberals like Hillary Clinton. n/t

[bluedeathray]

13. Boy, out of several important points in this thread

This one's a biggie. She isn't a foregone conclusion, even though some of her camp seems to think it's almost pre-ordained.

And her husband signed away Glass-Stiegel.