Capitalism and Competition
Our so-called ‘Capitalistic’ system which we so avidly subscribe to in this country, has now actually and completely morphed into “CORPORATISM”. It is in reality only a very muscular and burly second cousin to a far weaker and more benign ‘capitalism’ - if there is such a thing. This fact is not yet widely perceived since the corporatists prefer to continue to cynically fly under the radar using the capitalist label.
There all all sorts of corporations and corporate personalities just as there are in individuals. But, an overweening characteristic of big corporations is what appears to be greed, and often an antagonistic relationship with their employees, especially those on the lower levels. I believe this is a direct result of corporate necessity to MAKE AS BIG A PROFIT AS POSSIBLE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE - thus the appearance of greed. Everything else is subordinated to those goals, and I do mean EVERYTHING.
Corporations are also the largest beneficiaries by far of public welfare - in the form of tax advantages if not outright cash benefits which are also very common. Corporatists don't want the public to understand that corporatism now rules, for if we all realized the true extent, there very well might be a violent public rejection and a move towards more socialism and perhaps even communistic type systems.
That is exactly what happened when Marx, Engels and Lenin motivated the masses against the piratical capitalist plunderers of their times.
Today, instead of individuals or very small groups controlling corporations, there are interlocking Boards of Directors, often also involved with other corporations, who employ ‘hired guns’ in the form of highly trained CEO’s and CFO’s, etc., to do their bidding, thus moving themselves one or more levels away from their actual corporate piracy and malfeasance. Another major difference is corporatists are clever enough today to spread the largesse around among more people near the top in order to keep everyone doing their bidding, quiet and complacent.
Thus you have the spectacles such as all the CEO’s of all the major tobacco corporations standing together in one group, blatantly and cynically but piously lying before Congress - and getting completely away with it!
Today in our country money controls our political system in a way not seen in a century. Corporatism has seen to this, and has worked assiduously to remove obstacles preventing their money from influencing laws and regulation. “Corporate Campaign Contributions” are now widely expected and accepted - and cynically defined as ‘Freedom of Speech’ instead of the vote buying bribes they in reality are. Incredibly, corporations are legally defined as 'person's in connection with free speech!
Corporatists have also moved aggressively to control media and public organs of expression, and to suppress those they perceive as antagonistic to their interests. There are minutely planned and organized campaigns against anyone or anything perceived as populist, a la Karl Rove et al. The word “Liberal” has very nearly been defined as a swear word today and the word ‘progressive’ is rapidly being redefined as well. In other words, ‘black’ has become ‘white’ and vice versa.
Neo-Cons have had amazing success in redefining something to be exactly the opposite of what it really is; “Bringing Freedom and Democracy to Iraq” while unilaterally invading and subjugating Iraq, or ‘Protecting Our Freedoms” while energetically taking them away being two prime examples. Unfortunately for us there are too many more.
Of course not all corporations are evil. There are still examples of corporations who ‘do good’ and treat their people - all of them - well. But, all corporations must survive in the competitive and predatory marketplace. Because of our now perverted system, larger corporations in particular are very susceptible to being subordinated to or becoming controlled by corporatists with monetary interests trumping all else. Remember the old adage about nice guys finishing last? Ours is a decidedly unfriendly landscape for ‘good’ corporations.
Many large corporations often 'buy' public good will by contributing large sums of money to worthy causes, but which sums are immeasurably minuscule fractions of their bottom lines. Exxon Mobil contributes seemingly large but relative pittances to worthy causes while cynically and simultaneously working (and funding) behind the scenes efforts to undermine global warming mitigation and avoid court ordered fines for example.
Cynically, many large corporations mount egregiously false campaigns to polish their public images, often hiding their advocacy behind innocuously named 'groups' and PACs. BP touts their ‘environmentally friendly’ behavior for example when nothing could be further from the truth. In fact this practice is so pervasive I am surprised we haven’t seen laws passed against such barefaced corporate lying - but they remain blithely free to do so with impunity. No one in politics or the major media ever calls them on it. Not ever.
Such is life under corporatism!
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- 3 points
Capitalism has never been defined so how can it morph :)
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"The problem was how to keep the wheels of industry turning without increasing the real wealth of the world. Goods must be produced, but they must not be distributed."
George Orwell - 1984
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- 2 points
NEW boilingfrog podcasts from the Healthy Mind Body Planet Tour
Critical Dialogue with Dr. Dean Fergusson (11 min.)
http://www.rabble.ca/rpn/boi/53128/
Research shows that one is twice as likely to commit suicide while
on a pharmaceutical anti-depressant drug compared to placebo.
Dr. Dean Fergusson explains his research to Angela Bischoff during the
recent Healthy Mind Body Planet Tour.
ALL of audio podcasts on the rabble podcast network
http://www.rabble.ca/rpn/boi
They are also now available through podcast planet
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Shine ON * Kate Hill, Author RANTing OUt the Devil Chipmunka Publishing Funded by The Arts Council of England, View Soylent from OUR Desktops, RANTing OUt the Devil-PhRMA Factory
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- -1 points
You truely are a pin head to say such a thing:
"Maybe the Bolsheviks had the right idea; round up the rich classes and send them to labor camps. Teach those miscreants a lesson. They don't do anything for society but cause trouble."
If you had any sense, you would have denounced the murder of Stalin, rather than praising it. YOu must be completely out of your mind. Without the wealthiest people, there would be NO jobs. Everyone would be running around foraging for a living. Without this class of people, you would not have a job.
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- 9 points
Have You Had Your Chuckle Today?
George Carlin - Who Really Controls America
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=935607276
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- 2 points
VIDEO: No Science, No Cures (4 minutes)
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8058160857846500132
The capitalism bit is easy - they're wreaking in billions and billions (think Carl Sagan).
Normally capitalism is all about competition BUT in this field there ain't NO competition. They got the market cornered. They're all selling the same snake oil fraud.
They admit it - over and over and over again!
WATCH:
VIDEO is in the form of a series of "man-on-the-street" interviews taken at the 159th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto, April 2006. The reporter stops some conventioneers and asks just two questions of these psychiatrists. 
Are there any scientific tests for a mental illness?
Have you ever cured anyone with psychiatry?
Simple questions? Yes!
The psychiatrists' candid response, their body language, and........ in some cases...... laughs says it all
This is not a laughing matter
Psychiatrists, Drs. Thomas Szasz and Grace Jackson, and neurologist, Dr. Fred Baughman, add the dialog to this four minute video.
To view (or download) the video click on the link below.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8058160857846500132
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- 1 point
Industry is panicking and emploring the government to do something about the wholesale transfer of jobs and technology to China and India.
Wow! Imagine that.
When it was to their benefit, to lay off American workers and get cheap labor, it was OK. But what they didn't realize is that when you build a manufacturing site someplace, the locals are going to figure out how to do the same thing, get government subsidies, and then steal your industry.
Now that they're going to have to compete with a new generation of Chinese and Indian Capitalists, they're crying "foul."
I hope they win, but only because Americans need jobs here at home. Otherwise, they can go f*** themselves.
The New Deal wasn't just about helping the poor and working class; it was about protecting the Industrialists from themselves. Industry saw it as setting competition between themselves and their workers, and they've quietly worked at dismantling it ever since. Now that the Republicans have given them everything they wanted, they realized that they've soiled their diapers and are calling for help.
In the 1880's through the 1920's it was economic war with one corporation fighting the other. The working class were the victems, as they were the ones pushed into poverty. Now it's happening all over again.
Maybe the Bolsheviks had the right idea; round up the rich classes and send them to labor camps. Teach those miscreants a lesson. They don't do anything for society but cause trouble.