Corporations

We had a sizable gathering on March fifth and discussed corporations and their influence on the larger world. Many spoke positively about working for large companies like Ford while practically everyone complained about their dealings with the "Phone Company". We pondered the process by which a small responsible entity mutates into a large profit-driven monster. As corporations grow and bump up with global competition their policies increasingly undermine the interests of common people the world over. Foreign acquisitions, massive outsourcing and other practices make our economy vulnerable to extra-national influences. As we grasped for solutions our government was perceived as a likely agent of change. After all, what other institution has the power to rein in the industrial-military-corporate complex. This begs the question…

…can government regulate business if business is busy regulating the Government? We'd like to think that public policy flows from well-considered deliberations that take all interests into fair account. We know that has never been the case. From NAFTA to CAFTA, ownership of our ports to the regulation of our mines, corporate sway has usually carried the day. Does big business have too much political power? Is it a legitimate component of the national interest? Is there anything we can do about it anyway? Mind America's business and join us March 19th, 3 PM at the city Café as we discuss Corporations, the government and the people.