Saturday, April 29, 2006
Too much coffee on a Saturday Morning
Personal responsibility is the keystone to a well functioning society, but so is corporate responsibility. This is not the case in the US currently, where the precedent is to let corporations off the hook for their offenses. Corporations are afforded all the rights of individuals under the law, and then some.
When individuals kill, they go to jail. Corporations (and the individuals within) rarely or never are punished to the full extent, even when their actions result in multiple deaths.
Corporations are fined, and some execs may serve time in country club prisons, but for the most part, scot-free is the operative principle. Corporations MUST be held to some level of civic responsibility, certainly much higher than they are now. The recently reports outrageous profits taken by the oil companies bears this out. The oil industry makes windfall profits all the time at societal expense.
Look at the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Exxon has never fully come through with the funds and efforts promised to clean this up. This spill affected thousands, if not millions of individuals, businesses, and the environment. Yet at this time, the clean up is incomplete, reparations have never been fully paid, and Exxon just reported record-breaking profits.
We've essentially lost the republic (not that we ever had it) to corporations and the investor elite (of course, they’ve owned the “republic” the whole time, but that’s another story) because all corporations are required to do is make maximum profit. It is the unmitigated pursuit of maximum profit that has led to the state we are in: corruption permeates society; virtually none of our leaders can be trusted or held accountable. Maximum profit at any expense, as long as the expense is not borne by the corporation. The result is that society and individuals bear the expense, and subsidize corporate profits in many ways, direct and indirect.
The middle-class has shrunk, helped in part by the way the middle class votes. The middle-class; intoxicated by consumerism, spooked by layoffs, terrorists, whipsaw economics, votes for the politicians who use the most fear. And of course, since no one wants to admit that they are responsible for things (despite all the rhetoric about “personal responsibility”), it is easier to blame immigrants, gays, the Other for the problems the middle class has itself created or at least tacitly approved.
Corporations routinely affect the lives of millions, and are not held responsible for the way they affect society. They are subsidized in all this by the taxpayer.
This is the recipe for chaos and degeneracy.
In my dreams, after a certain level of revenue, or some other bottom line criteria, a corporation would be required, REQUIRED, to be involved directly with the communities they affect, either through money, or by creating programs to deal with societal needs and problems.
Andrew Carnegie is an example of voluntary corporate largesse. He did it because he started out poor, and felt the need to repay his good fortune. He created libraries all over the country. He did it voluntarily, but I doubt we can count on the largesse of corporations or corporate officers anymore. It should be required. The money, or work should be directly related to the community. It should be related to the effects the business has had. Smaller businesses could contribute to a pool for funding public works.
Sound like taxes? Well, yeah it is. If we truly want a good enlightened, functioning and rewarding society, corporations and the wealthy need to be held responsible, just as the crack addicts and gang members are held responsible. Just as middle class tax evaders are held responsible. Taxes are the current mechanism. Is there another?
Corporations and the wealthy come by and maintain their wealth through the work of society at large and individuals, both employees, and others. They should be required to pay for that. They do to an extent, but they constantly look for ways to get out of responsibility to society. Taxes are a form of societal responsibility.
Perhaps a restructuring of corporations should be studied, one that rewards responsibility and long range planning equally with maximum profit. The idea of maximum profit at the expense of all else will destroy the West, the East, and the world.
Socialism is dead, and it may be that capitalism has reached its end game. The optimist in me looks forward to some new system of work, wealth, business, and societal structure. It will only come about with major upheaval and stress. I fear that aspect, but I think it is unavoidable. After the events of the last 15 years, and given the oil problems and profits we face, I fear a crisis is inevitable.
The sad part is, most of the middle class has been complicit in this, bought off by SUV’s, iPods and American Idol.
We are about to reap what we've sown on many levels, and I don't think it will be pretty.
If we make it through this time, intact as a species and as a planet, I think the future could be bright indeed.
When individuals kill, they go to jail. Corporations (and the individuals within) rarely or never are punished to the full extent, even when their actions result in multiple deaths.
Corporations are fined, and some execs may serve time in country club prisons, but for the most part, scot-free is the operative principle. Corporations MUST be held to some level of civic responsibility, certainly much higher than they are now. The recently reports outrageous profits taken by the oil companies bears this out. The oil industry makes windfall profits all the time at societal expense.
Look at the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Exxon has never fully come through with the funds and efforts promised to clean this up. This spill affected thousands, if not millions of individuals, businesses, and the environment. Yet at this time, the clean up is incomplete, reparations have never been fully paid, and Exxon just reported record-breaking profits.
We've essentially lost the republic (not that we ever had it) to corporations and the investor elite (of course, they’ve owned the “republic” the whole time, but that’s another story) because all corporations are required to do is make maximum profit. It is the unmitigated pursuit of maximum profit that has led to the state we are in: corruption permeates society; virtually none of our leaders can be trusted or held accountable. Maximum profit at any expense, as long as the expense is not borne by the corporation. The result is that society and individuals bear the expense, and subsidize corporate profits in many ways, direct and indirect.
The middle-class has shrunk, helped in part by the way the middle class votes. The middle-class; intoxicated by consumerism, spooked by layoffs, terrorists, whipsaw economics, votes for the politicians who use the most fear. And of course, since no one wants to admit that they are responsible for things (despite all the rhetoric about “personal responsibility”), it is easier to blame immigrants, gays, the Other for the problems the middle class has itself created or at least tacitly approved.
Corporations routinely affect the lives of millions, and are not held responsible for the way they affect society. They are subsidized in all this by the taxpayer.
This is the recipe for chaos and degeneracy.
In my dreams, after a certain level of revenue, or some other bottom line criteria, a corporation would be required, REQUIRED, to be involved directly with the communities they affect, either through money, or by creating programs to deal with societal needs and problems.
Andrew Carnegie is an example of voluntary corporate largesse. He did it because he started out poor, and felt the need to repay his good fortune. He created libraries all over the country. He did it voluntarily, but I doubt we can count on the largesse of corporations or corporate officers anymore. It should be required. The money, or work should be directly related to the community. It should be related to the effects the business has had. Smaller businesses could contribute to a pool for funding public works.
Sound like taxes? Well, yeah it is. If we truly want a good enlightened, functioning and rewarding society, corporations and the wealthy need to be held responsible, just as the crack addicts and gang members are held responsible. Just as middle class tax evaders are held responsible. Taxes are the current mechanism. Is there another?
Corporations and the wealthy come by and maintain their wealth through the work of society at large and individuals, both employees, and others. They should be required to pay for that. They do to an extent, but they constantly look for ways to get out of responsibility to society. Taxes are a form of societal responsibility.
Perhaps a restructuring of corporations should be studied, one that rewards responsibility and long range planning equally with maximum profit. The idea of maximum profit at the expense of all else will destroy the West, the East, and the world.
Socialism is dead, and it may be that capitalism has reached its end game. The optimist in me looks forward to some new system of work, wealth, business, and societal structure. It will only come about with major upheaval and stress. I fear that aspect, but I think it is unavoidable. After the events of the last 15 years, and given the oil problems and profits we face, I fear a crisis is inevitable.
The sad part is, most of the middle class has been complicit in this, bought off by SUV’s, iPods and American Idol.
We are about to reap what we've sown on many levels, and I don't think it will be pretty.
If we make it through this time, intact as a species and as a planet, I think the future could be bright indeed.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
a bit lost i'm afraid
i miss andrea more and more every day. she was so much fun! dammit she was my most consistently fun and creative friend.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Wisdom
"The Master sees things as they are,
Without trying to control them.
He lets them go their own way,
And resides at the center of the circle.
He or She understands that the Universe
is forever out of control,
And that trying to dominate events
Goes against the current of the Tao.
Be content with what you have;
Rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
The whole world belongs to you.
~ Tao Te Ching.
Without trying to control them.
He lets them go their own way,
And resides at the center of the circle.
He or She understands that the Universe
is forever out of control,
And that trying to dominate events
Goes against the current of the Tao.
Be content with what you have;
Rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking,
The whole world belongs to you.
~ Tao Te Ching.
