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There have been a number of very interesting discussions about corporations on the Democratic Underground recently. It appears that the majority of people understand the problems that corporations pose to our Constitutional Democracy. I think that it is important to take it a step further, and to recognize that the federal government has become a corporation – in fact, exactly the phenomenon that President Eisenhower warned about in his farewell address.
Let's take a minute to examine eleven inherent rules of corporate behavior, as described by Jerry Mander in his 1991 book, “In the Absence of the Sacred” (Sierra Club Books). As we look at each one, consider if it is an apt description of our federal government today.
(1)The Profit Imperative: all decisions involve discussions of “cost,” with profit being valued above human/community values. (2)The Growth Imperative: by their nature, corporations seek to become larger. (3)Competition & Aggression: Think of oil and other resources. (4)Amorality: Those individuals who advocate moral stances are marginalized. (5)Hierarchy: Think of Congress (6)Quantification, Linearity, and Segmentation: It's all in the numbers on spread-sheets. (7)Dehumanization: This goes far beyond the dehumanization of the individuals and families in Iraq and Afghanistan. When a corporate nation dehumanizes others, it dehumanizes its own. (8)Exploitation: Self-evident. (9)Ephemerality: The “New World Order” of profits beyond borders. (10)Opposition to Nature: Drill, Baby, Drill (11)Homogenization:Everyone everywhere wants to be just like us, no matter if they realize it or not.
James Carroll's 2006 book, “House of War” (Houghton Mifflin Company) – which by no coincidence opens with Ike's famous January 17, 1961 warning that the rise of power in the military-industrial complex endangers our liberties and democratic process – provides numerous examples of how individuals who were intent upon providing moral leadership in our country were marginalized. And that marginalization includes being destroyed, on many levels.
The “mainstream” media today is little more than the corporate newsletter. Yet those who can read between the lines recognize that with very few exceptions, the editors and talking heads are providing an info-mercial for the corporation. And those few who even attempt to report anything else are marginalized; for example, Bill Moyers, who used to work at a high level within the corporation, is now a voice in the wilderness.
I think that when we look at individual politicians within this context, it makes more sense. Did candidate Barack Obama have sincere intentions of creating change within the system? I believe he did. Yet, even if a new manager of McDonald's has sincere intentions, the joint will still be serving the public unhealthy food. The new McAmerica commercials might seem chipper and entertaining, but “form is content,” as Mander notes.
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