Fact:
Of the world's 100 largest economic entities, 49 are countries, and 51 are corporations.
See a cartoon
http://www.newstarget.com/021909.html
Here are all the cartoons on that site
http://www.newstarget.com/index-cartoons.html
That's why they're the biggest - they're countries and corporations. How could a small business be considered one of the largest economic entities? Any small business that starts to make a lot of money is going to go corporate or they would lose money. It's not a conspiracy, it's common sense.
So, shop small business. Wal-Mart is evil.
thanks melody that article was really good! make hundreds of copies and put it up all around town.
Mez,
Did you mean a good cartoon as well? :-)
Good article. Makes a sense. Whether it will happen that way or another, I'd say it's going to happen. America is in a lot of debt.
Another interesting thing is that we all think we live in a democracy. I don't think anything could be further from the truth. Any thoughts?
-AM
I refuse to blame corporations and government for the problem. We, the people have let it get to that point. We buy their stuff that we don't need. We buy gas guzzlers. If we didn't, they would go away. That's where the freedom is - in what you don't buy. We want to complain about corporations, yet we buy all their crap. Our society rests on that crap and it's hard to change now. So we want the government and corps to change, not us.
We don't live in a perfect democracy, but it's not bad at all. Last night I ate pork roast, sweet potatoes, home-grown beans, & a glass of white wine. That's a blessing, and most of the world doesn't get a chance to do that whenever they want to. It's our democratic economy that allows me to do that. Like I said in another thread, I believe it's important to live by example. I refuse to shop Wal-Mart, I refuse to eat fast food, and I do my best to only shop small business. As a people we can stop evil corporations - it's as easy as not buying their stuff. Having that choice is important to our freedom, and if enough people keep buying junk to keep them in business, well, at least they have that democratic choice.
When there are only 2 choices and both are owned by the government, I'll have a problem. I really don't think the american people would ever let it get to that point. We're too spoiled.
Well said.
I don't think either side fully takes responsibility. After all, where does blaming the problem on whoever get us? Product fetishism is a massive problem in society. That's the aim of a capitalist society, stand on everyone else's shoulders. Again, let's not blame capitalism as it is an invention of our own mind. Corporations are given power by us, definitely.
Quote from: Stookie on September 21, 2007, 12:28:37
It's our democratic economy that allows me to do that.
I don't know how you can define an economy as democratic, it's usually a word reserved for the mechanics of a political system, but I get what you mean. There is still luxuries we take for granted that many countries don't have, meaning something has to be working. Is it our democracy that keeps troops in Iraq? I wouldn't say the political system is completely democratic nor dictatorship. Some say we live in a society governed by the media. It's a little fuzzy I think. That's the main issue, because it shouldn't be.
-AM
Quote from: melody on September 21, 2007, 08:47:37
Mez,
Did you mean a good cartoon as well? :-)
Didnt pay much attention to the cartoon... I just read the actual article.
I think the goverment, the corporations and the people are all responsible. I also think the article is right... every empire has its rise and its fall and i know what america is planning (NWO) and its only a matter of time before they either succeed or come topling down. It honestly could go either way. NWO would be terrible... unspeakably attrocious. I know the people wont let that happen...
This is a really great documentary based on the book "The Corporation"
The corporation
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=192012118972057552
Just because the cooperations are big doesn't make them evil, right?
You could buy stuff you don't need in a small store, but you can also buy stuff you don't need at a big coorperation like walmart for half the price.
Why waste money?
So it is OK to be destroying the planet, to exploit children in the third world as a cheap labor, or to proclaim that you own all the water in the country - even rain water (this happened in Bolivia where people were heavily persecuted and penalized for collecting it) as long as we get bargains for the stuff we don't need?
Sharpe, I don't think you watched this documentary.
Quote from: Sharpe on October 09, 2007, 02:45:47
Just because the cooperations are big doesn't make them evil, right?
You could buy stuff you don't need in a small store, but you can also buy stuff you don't need at a big coorperation like walmart for half the price.
Why waste money?
It depends on how you look at it. You might save some money in the short term, but in the long term Wal-Mart destroys fair economy in small communities. Your community (and you) suffer from a lack of choices to shop, small business get run out, and more people are out of jobs forcing them to work for Wal-Mart, the same place that drove them out of business. It also makes a community UGLY. When I go across country, every community looks EXACTLY the same now. The same big stores in the same ugly strip malls. Remember when there was art in architecture that gave a place uniqueness? Now it's Cookie Cutter Communites. That's what stores like Wal-Mart do. They don't help much on a global scale either.
Quote from: Stookie on September 21, 2007, 12:28:37
I refuse to blame corporations and government for the problem. We, the people have let it get to that point. We buy their stuff that we don't need. We buy gas guzzlers. If we didn't, they would go away. That's where the freedom is - in what you don't buy. We want to complain about corporations, yet we buy all their crap. Our society rests on that crap and it's hard to change now. So we want the government and corps to change, not us.
We don't live in a perfect democracy, but it's not bad at all. Last night I ate pork roast, sweet potatoes, home-grown beans, & a glass of white wine. That's a blessing, and most of the world doesn't get a chance to do that whenever they want to. It's our democratic economy that allows me to do that. Like I said in another thread, I believe it's important to live by example. I refuse to shop Wal-Mart, I refuse to eat fast food, and I do my best to only shop small business. As a people we can stop evil corporations - it's as easy as not buying their stuff. Having that choice is important to our freedom, and if enough people keep buying junk to keep them in business, well, at least they have that democratic choice.
When there are only 2 choices and both are owned by the government, I'll have a problem. I really don't think the american people would ever let it get to that point. We're too spoiled.
That is the big LIE though. Our Founding Fathers did not set up a Democracy....they set up a
Constitutional Republic. They hated Democracy. A Democracy is where 51% of the people can control 49%....Majority Rules. A Constitutional Republic is where 99% of the people can't order around the other 1%.
We been living the LIE for so long we think it is correct. Get rid of the Federal Reserve Bank for one (It is privately owned by the way) and tax the PROFITS of the corporations and not the LABOR of the people. That is what the 16th Admendment was all about. Another LIE they put on us was the Income Tax. There is NO law that says we have to pay a income tax for our labor....anywhere. However, the IRS has the power of a Gestopo doesn't it? What is wrong with that picture?
Well the law isn't the point in that, even if there is no law for it, humans can do what they want, no law is above people.
I live in the Netherlands and I always see documentaries of how corporations own everyone in America.
I think you all are a bunch of whiners, in the Netherlands you have to pay 52% tax on your income.
We aren't controlled by corporations.
But look at it this way: there are 16 million people in Holland and a total of 41,526 km² or 16,033 square miles.
The density is 385 civillians per 1 km².
Doesn't anyone find this queerer than what is going on in America?
If the density is high, you're supposed to have lower taxes.
And the best part is, they want to raise it to 80%, how awesome is that!?
Those economists should concentrate on Dutch taxation instead of Americans who don't have THAT much a problem.