oligarchy

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  • Moderator
    1195
     I looked up the meaning of "oligarchy" and I can see why the term is being used lately.
    The claims that 1 percent of the citizenry is controlling 99 percent of the wealth seems to fit but it doesn't sound right to me. For some strange reason corporations are considered individuals - why? They're businesses so the should be treated as such (IMHO). They should be taxed fairly.   Any opinions?
    It appears that if you want to run for any office, you have to have the money to have your name in front of the people. You have to make promises, it seems.  Any opinions?
    There used to be an anerchist here - I wonder what happened?
    <p>If it isn't fun - don't do it.</p>
      April 21, 2016 7:30 PM BST
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  • It is beyond insane where these things are going in the US - a corp is an entity with actually more rights than the individual - not pay taxes, control people's pay and level of benefits, take their land and strip mine it, have limited to no liability, and not see you as a customer if they choose - very sad indeed.  
    In the tax category - what is sickening is the fact that many of these corporations receive tax breaks from the US laws as it is with their lobbyists constantly leaning on the system. Worse, they can legally offshore their money and hence not pay tax on it. Further, they have no obligation to build their products here. I'll use Apple ( no offense to those who like and use their products ) as an example. As an American citizen on average the most you can do is be a salesperson in one of their stores or a customer service rep - yet they build their items in China and claim they know how to do it there and we don't. Their money is transferred from one place to another and is based in Ireland, hence they pay very low tax rates. Imagine if you or I coud do that with our money?
    How many times do we as citizens hear of one company after another causing air, water, and land pollution, not to mentions dangers even death to people yet few if any of the corp leaders are taken to jail and merely pay small inconsequential fines at best.
    There is a concerted effort on the part of the Republican party to side with these corporations even more so - selling and even giving them federal lands, allowing strip mining, in the case of fracking to allow toxic materials to be pumped in to get at the natural gas and oil. Notice the campaign where many of them want lower taxes on the wealthy so as to help us all they claim. Hate to tell people that in the 1950s and 60s the tax rate on the wealthy was nearly 90% yet America was an excessively prosperous place with the greatest amount of building, production, and creation of livable-wage jobs in our history. 
    Now there is the push to have 'religious freedom, liberty, et al' laws where the owner of the business can decide T people can't use the bathroom and can also decide not to sell products or provide services to anyone the owner deems violating his/her religious disposition - mainly all members of the LGBT community. It's one thing, which is still wrong, to not sell someone a cake for their wedding as was the case for a gay couple - what if, the business made or sold medicine - can a person tell an LGBT member - 'too bad'? Why does not one news commentator ask such a common sense question but then says they have to present 'both sides' - as if there are two sides to this argument - a person not willing to sell or provide service for a person due to their opinion - we need to realize this - religion is just that - one's opinion and nothing more. Also another critical question - why does no one state to the business owner - 'sure you have your call for religious rights - though you are misusing the 1st ammendment -but do you realize that all rights, including the ones you invoke must be balanced against public cause and public good? There are no rights that are absolute and infinite. 
    Back to the corporate person point - People are the center of the issues, the laws, and the matters that matter - corporations, like money, and the rest are simply imaginary concepts we invent to create means to do business, communicate, and and the like. People are real and people matter. 
    Sorry for so much ranting, but thank you for bringing this to the forum for discussion.
    Bill Moyers site has a lot of great news and people there who express these points of view. He used to be on TV, then no longer could be. 
    Thanks, hugs, Briana : )
      April 21, 2016 8:21 PM BST
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  • Moderator
    1195
    Thanks for your  help 
    Now to get the American members to read.
    xxxooo
    <p>If it isn't fun - don't do it.</p>
      April 21, 2016 9:05 PM BST
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  • I love your passion, Briana! I agree with you!!! And thank you for posting Mary Grace. Great topic!

    Great documentary to check out, I think it's called The Corporation...I saw it a long time ago, but it relates to what you're saying.

    Also, you must must must check out Where to Invade Next, Michael Moore's latest documentary (should be coming to iTunes, Amazon, etc soon). There is nothing wrong with criticizing the country you live in, especially if you love it and want to improve it for all lives. Basically he goes around to many countries and showcases the great thing about that country, in the hopes that the US will take note and do something about it!
      April 27, 2016 7:00 PM BST
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