Just curious

[AsahinaKimi]

While walking home today I thought about this question. Are there any Companies or Corporations that people really trust or would honestly endorse anymore? If you had to list your top three in the United States who would you chose? Am I cynical that I can't think of just one?

[EFerrari]

1. Ben & Jerry's.

:)

[truedelphi]

6. Didn't they get bought out by someone else?

If they did not, I'd vote for them too.

[EFerrari]

8. Oh, no!

:(

[Tesha]

12. They were bought-out by Unilever. (NT)

[Viking12]

29. They did; a big part of the sales contract required buyer to maintain Socially Responsible policies

[truedelphi]

45. Good to know that the founders had some stipulations

For the new owners.

[blindpig]

2. Not cynical, Capitalsim is unmitigated evil.

And it doesn't even work, which is why we have recurrent economic meltdowns.

[jobycom]

11. How are you defining capitalism?

:shrug:

[blindpig]

36. A method of production...

where one class(capitalist) controls the means of production and the other class(workers) must work for them for wages. What is unique about capitalism is that in previous methods of production most workers did have control of of their means of production, be that farmland and implements, a craftsman's tools, etc. In this system the worker is entirely dependent upon the owning class for their sustenance. Even in feudalism there was a social contract, in capitalism there is none.

[jobycom]

43. That's a bad definition, and relies on false assumptions.

Every previous and future method of production has or had a ruling and servant class. Capitalism is the only one I know of where a worker can control their own production and can keep the results of their production if they know how or want to. The fact that the majority of people choose to work for someone else has nothing to do with capitalism.

As for feudalism, as a former medieval historian I can assure you there was nothing close to a social contract, nor anything resembling freedom within the system. You were born into a system, you were forbidden to ever leave, and whatever your lord told you he wanted of your labors, you owed him, unless you could form an army and defeat his army. That system gave way when capitalism began to emerge, and people were free to sell their labor where they wanted, and to whom they wanted. The freedom to sell it also meant people had to be able to buy it, but at least it was only the labor, and not the whole person and every moment of their time and and every shred of their freedom, who was bought and sold, as in feudalism. Feudalism was slavery.

What you are complaining about isn't capitalism, it's grand-scale feudalism that has crept into the system because our government refuses to provide the regulations necessary for capitalism. Capitalism is an artificial construct requiring constant regulation by the society using it. When that regulation is present, it's the most free and fair system in existence. When society surrenders that control and regulation, the result is feudalism. You just think that's capitalism because the overlord wannabees convinced you that it was. They told the people that to have "true" capitalism the market had to be "free" and unregulated, so that they could take control away from the people, and too many people believed that. But that was the devil, convincing people that the flames were really icewater. Capitalism is defined by regulation, and when that regulation is lost, you have the feudalism that is slowly emerging now.

I blame Reagan. First, he tore down the protections we'd built over the last century to protect capitalism. Second, he cut education spending so much that people don't know a damn thing about economics these days except what they learn from people trying to sell crap.

[blindpig]

44. People choose to work for Capitalists?

What choice do they have when the capitalists own the means of production? A generalization of course but generally true. If people keep the results of their labor then where do profits come from?

Capitalism is not a static thing, it is a historical development. To pick a moment in it's development and say, "This is what capitalism is supposed to be." is akin to pointing to Australopithecus afarensis and saying that is what humans should be. The method of capitalism, the ceaseless accumulation, precludes the static, as the excess capital seeks new venues to reproduce itself in. Thus we have bubbles and 'market corrections', and so finance capitalism inevitably come to the fore as the repository of excess capital that cannot find a profitable venue elsewhere.

Yours is a fine libertarian narrative, an ahistorical excuse for ruling class dominance. People were 'free to sell their labor' only after they had been dispossessed of their land and had no other means of sustenance. Surely you are familiar with the Enclosure Acts and similar laws from the Continent.

Regulation is a mirage, a temporary expedient at best. Witness the fate of the New Deal. As long as Capital has the means it will seek to maximize profit and control of government is just one means of realizing that goal.

[dionysus]

28. to be fair, your way didn't work at all.

[blindpig]

37. History ain't over yet bucko. n/t

[arcane1]

3. I'm almost afraid to answer this

because if I think of any companies, someone might point out something I didn't know about them :(

The only one I can think of is Credo, who apparently supports a lot of progressive causes.

Then again, why am I not a customer of theirs? No idea! :shrug:

[EFerrari]

7. I tried to be their customer but ATT held my LD hostage

and I finally gave up.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. I like Costco.

I know they're not perfect, but they're close.

My dear AsahinaKimi!

:hi:

[Dappleganger]

20. Same here, they treat their employees well.

And I am personally pretty happy with Publix grocery store as they are employee-held, although no doubt they have issues being based in a right-to-work state. Our son has worked for them since he was 14, we know a number of employees and management and really have only good things to say about them and how they treat their employees.

[Howler]

5. Yep.

Dharma trading co.
They are environmentally and socially conscious.

[riderinthestorm]

9. Off the top of my head: Costco, Barnes and Noble, Woodman's grocery stores.

I think any operation that supports unions, fair wages, and decent charitable and political giving would be included. I'm sure if I gave it a few minutes of thought I'd come up with more. I also tend to like companies like LL Bean which are all American made products even if their contributions are middling.

[jobycom]

10. Trust for what? To provide a product? Sure, plenty. To care about anything other than money?

Of course not. The only purpose of a business is business. The only purpose is to make money. That's why we need a strong government to regulate business, to protect people from their predatory tendencies and to protect the economy from the destructive competition that leads to monopolies and feudalism.

So there's nothing to trust or not trust about businesses. They exist for a purpose, and as long as the nation uses that purpose properly, things are beautiful. When the government fails to regulate them, then government is to blame. Blaming corporations to me is like blaming water for people drowning in it. Water is necessary and can be used for good, but if you don't pay attention to it, it will eventually destroy you, not because it's bad, but just because it is.

As Churchill very well might have said, capitalism is the worst economic system ever devised, except for all the other ones.

[Tesha]

13. Apple. (NT)

[Kurovski]

14. Homer Laughlin China Co.

"...By 2002, ownership of the company was shared by third, fourth and fifth generation members of the Wells and Aaron families and others. Many of the shareholders were scattered throughout the country and had little involvement with the business. In an effort to consolidate resources and provide improved direction for the company, Joe Wells III, together with his sisters, Jean Wicks and Elizabeth McIlvain, purchased the interests of the other stockholders. In June, 2002, Joe Wells III was elected president and chief executive officer.

Since the re-organization, the company has experienced continued growth and is poised to move forward with the Wells Family’s pledge to continue producing quality, American-made china and provide jobs for potters of the Ohio Valley."

http://www.hlchina.com/company.htm



I know that they have become quite huge, and they use GMO, but General Mills still treats employees extremely well, and they do share the wealth.
( I think they also own that restaurant, Olive Pit, whatever) :)

Heinz is still good, I believe.

[blondeatlast]

27. HL is still family owned? That's wonderful! That's great stuff.

Or, rather, that's wonderful because they aren't going the Wal-Mart family adcendency way.

And, it's great stuff anyway; I started adding to my late mom's collection a few years ago.

[Kurovski]

34. They also make least toxic glazes. No lead, for one.

I'll buy any piece I find on clearance or garage sales.

I love to mix up the colors.

It's a good American company that ships all over the world. I think it's very popular in France.

[HuckleB]

15. Mostly local/regional: Powell's Books, New Seasons Groceries, Rudy's Barber Shops...

... it's hard to come up with larger companies.

[riderinthestorm]

23. I was contemplating that. I bet none of us will name a transnational corporation.

I was thinking about the choices I listed and none of them are on the same global scale as say Microsoft, GE, Halliburton, Kraft etc.

I wonder if that's when things go so wrong - the company becomes too big to be ethical?

[treestar]

16. Maybe if you started a company, you would expect people to

trust it?

Why should they?

[Tesha]

17. Cabot Cooperative (cheese) (NT)

[Tesha]

18. CREDO ("Working Assets")

There -- that's my three.

Tesha

[HuckleB]

22. Maybe things have changed, but...

... it was hard to stay with them. We had them for five or six years, back in the '90s. Eventually, I realized that I could give far more to charity if I went with a cheaper provider, and gave the difference in savings to good causes. There may be other reasons to go with them, but we're just about to get rid of our land line, so...

Anyway, blah, blah, blah.

Cheers! :toast:

[GliderGuider]

19. None from me.

Corporations are the apotheosis of power hierarchies, and so by definition are anti-human. The best we can say about the best of them is that they don't ruin their employees' or customers' lives completely.

Corporations are a major part of the problems of the planet. We may have to live with them, but we don't have to like them.

[county worker]

21. Costco and Progressive Insurance I like

[LiberalLoner]

24. I've heard Wegman's treats their employees well. Maybe them? Dunno. n/t

[dionysus]

26. wegmans rocks and is always in the top 5 best companies to work for list. this year they are three.

they were first a few times recently.

[Newest Reality]

25. You can scratch Whole Foods

off the feel-good company list, now.

Many people I know are not so hot on shopping there anymore due to the major blow-job they are giving Monsanto. The impact of that is far-reaching. Plus, when you look into it, other than the labeled organic foods, the "natural" label, (which comprises a significant amount of their offerings) does not amount to much anyway and so, the prices at Whole Foods are not justifiable in that sense.

There are other places to hook-up with quality foods, anyway.

Oh, and I agree that corporations, are, by nature business, profit, bottom-line, a model that I can find no allegiance with and, despite the feeling of being like a Salmon swimming up-stream to mate, it would be nice to see a paradigm shift before we render our species, (and many others) totally extinct.

[blondeatlast]

30. Southwest Airlines, the YMCA, Girl Scouts...

I help establish 501(c)3's (and others) for a living. Many I wouldn't trust as far as I could throw their boards but that isn't the case for all. Chances are, if they are smart, the local bagel deli or taco stand is a "corporation" by definition.

[Kurovski]

35. I was just going to say that a local butcher is a great company. (nt)

[Recursion]

31. Kroger (UFCW) comes to mind. Also some gov't manufacturing contractors I've worked with

Textron makes the boat my office supports for the Navy; they do a good job.

I guess it depends on what you mean by "trust"; there are corporations I trust to follow the law, make a decent product, and sell it at a fair price. That's all I really expect from a corporation.

[blondeatlast]

32. Define "corporation." The Girl Scouts are a corporation, so is Halliburton.

I've helped some wonderful charitable organizations incorporate under 501(c)3 status and some real slimeballs as well.

[Odin2005]

33. No corporation can be trusted to do the right thing by defnition.

They are legally required to maximize profits before all else.

[dionysus]

38. tough to say. i use geico for my insurance for example. the few experiences i've

had with them were positive, so i suppose i "trust" them to provide auto insurance.

then again, there's probably DUers who had a bad experience with them and think they're scum.

[Kurovski]

41. Geico got into politics by firing voice-over actorwho criticised the so-called Tea Party

yet when another actor, the Drill sargeant in geico ad spouted rightwing nuttery in public, they didn't pull his crap ad. For all that's worth.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/21/geico-fires-dc-douglas-vo_n_546038.html

[jwirr]

39. Corporation is a word that covers both huge and small organizations.

Both local and multinational. Both public and private. I do not trust any multinational corporations.

[saras]

40. "Top Three" misses the point

I can think of a fair number, but they're mostly too small and local to matter to anyone outside my region.

Hardware Sales, Bellingham, WA.
They're an old-fashioned hardware store for people who still do real work. They deserve to be known as well as Wall Drug, but it would ruin them.

Heet Sound Products, Los Angeles, CA.
Makers of the E-Bow for (mostly) electric guitars. I use mine on my acoustic guitar and on my ukulele.

Great Harvest Bread Co., Dillon, MT
They're a franchise, so my experience is biased by my local branch. Great bread, great place to work.

Tillamook Cheese Co, Tillamook OR - oops, they're a farmer-owned coop, so they don't count

Moog Music, Asheville, NC
Robert Moog, the synthesiser guy, got his name back (he lost the rights to it back in the seventies), before he died. They may yet turn corporate, but right now they're still a pretty good company.

I could also name about twenty local farms that have had to incorporate for legal reasons...

No multinationals, of course. I think that by the time they have enough products that they start to buy and sell product lines, that they've lost any commitment to the products being any good any more. So if you can't answer the question "what do they make" (NOT "what do they do"), I think they've lost it. I don't trust 'service' companies of any size, because I think the model is fundamentally flawed.

[vim876]

42. Yes.

There are private and not-for-profit corporations I trust and would endorse. But public ones? Do you think people are stupid?