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Many politicians speak of American Freedom while their pockets are lined with thousand-dollar bills conceived in debt, nursed on greed, and sent off into the world by corporate masters. These politicians swear by unfettered capitalism and equate it to the American ideal of democracy. Of course, they do; corporations indoctrinate them and buy them off with campaign funds, prostitutes, and other gifts. They couldn't survive in today's political arena without corporate sponsorship.
Before claiming the Corporation as the ideal of democracy, perhaps we need to go back to the time prior to the Revolutionary War to see how much our founding "fathers" supported the corporation.
It is well known that American colonists declared independence from England in 1776 in opposition to being taxed without representation. In so doing, they also freed themselves from control by English corporations that dominated their trade and extracted their wealth. After fighting this revolution, the founders retained a healthy fear of corporate power and limited corporations exclusively to a business role. Corporations were forbidden from attempting to influence elections, public policy, and other realms of civic society.
According to Reclaiming Democracy (see link below) , the privilege of incorporation during those early days was granted selectively to enable activities that benefited the public, such as construction of roads or canals. Enabling shareholders to profit was seen as a means to that end. The states also imposed conditions like these:
Corporate charters (licenses to exist) were granted for a limited time and could be revoked promptly for violating laws.
Corporations could engage only in activities necessary to fulfill their chartered purpose.
Corporations could not own stock in other corporations nor own any property that was not essential to fulfilling their chartered purpose.
Corporations were often terminated if they exceeded their authority or caused public harm.
Owners and managers were held responsible for criminal acts committed on the job.
Corporations could not make any political or charitable contributions nor spend money to influence law-making.
Some of these conditions remain on the books but are not followed. Our forefathers dumped the "valuable" tea of the East India Tea Company into Boston harbor, because they valued true freedom more. Did they do so in vain? We desecrate their sacrifice when we bow down to corporate personhood.
Today's corporate bought-and-sold politicians, be they Romney or Obama, are at odds with the original intent of separation from England and her corporations. No wonder we still worship the Queen over here! In essence it appears that corporations like Pepsi, Walmart, and Monsanto should have been disbanded long ago, if we were indeed aligned with those who founded this country. But, alas, we have a "meet the new boss, same as the old" scenario in our modern day. New England has been reclaimed by old England. Corporations have become the American aristocracy. We are as blind as the cattle in Animal Farm , awed by the clever pigs.
In this light, it is interesting that politicians such as Romney claim that corporations are people while also aligning themselves with the founding "fathers" of the constitution. The fact is, the "founding father's" held corporations in such deep contempt, limiting what they could do and how long they could exist. Indeed, according to many, the revolutionary war, which won us independence from England, was as much a rebellion against the corporation. The Reclaiming Democracy website states:
After fighting a revolution to end this exploitation, our country's founders retained a healthy fear of corporate power and wisely limited corporations exclusively to a business role. Corporations were forbidden from attempting to influence elections, public policy, and other realms of civic society.
Thus, if one aligns with these statements, it appears that the colonists' love for the corporation was not in line with Romney's devotional love for them. This love was evidenced when he rebuked someone that criticized corporate rule with his infamous, "Corporations are people, my friend." That is crap, promulgated by today's Supreme Court, in patent opposition to the original intent of the revolution and the Constitution.
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