They're playing by the rules through their attempts to influence politicians to change the rules in their favor? I'm sorry, but that rationalization doesn't work for me.
So are the politicians children who are supposed to give in to the demands of anyone who comes waving candy on their faces? They are the ones who have the power, and have chosen repeatedly money over moral integrity. Corporations have no power to make rules. If legislators wanted, they could easily make it illegal for rich people to buy influence, or at least make it really difficult. Instead, they keep making it easier.
Again, we don't elect corporations to protect our rights. We as a society give legislators the ultimate power to decide what is allowed and what's not. That's a huge vote of confidence, and they keep repeatedly betraying that confidence. Nobody expects rich people to not use their money to gain influence, but we all expect legislators to have high moral standards and defend our rights. That's why we choose them for the job. If you don't see a massive difference between the two I'm afraid we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.
I never said politicians weren't culpable. I said businesses aren't absolved. If we expect businesses to abuse the rules and their influence then we need to start voting for politicians who will put them on a leash. I don't agree with letting them off the hook just because they were incentivized to game the system.
Look, I have no sympathy for the corporations who're buying politicians. I think they're despicable. But I had no reason to expect them to do otherwise. That's my whole point. The real traitors are the people in the government. Sure, the corporations need to be put on a leash, and even made to pay for the damage they've done to society. But the harm that government corruption has caused goes much deeper. They've changed the rules and the status quo to the point where it's nearly impossible to get back to a real democracy, and have enabled corporations to do any amount of harm they want without any consequence, in the name of making money.
I think we're roughly on the same side TBH. I don't think the corporations are angels, just that the government has a much greater share of the blame. It's just that I keep seeing people talking about the evil corporations, and see a lot less talk about the treason perpetrated by the people in DC.
I do expect them to do otherwise. I expect everybody to behave with a modicum of decency and at least a little bit of empathy. But we've developed an ideology about capitalism that teaches greed is good and we should expect business leaders to be self-serving sociopaths. Should we then be surprised when this attitude leaks into other aspects of our society, like government? Perhaps I should say that I expect politicians to be self-serving sociopaths, only out for power and position. Does that let them off the hook for their abuses of power? No? Of course not.
We are largely on the same side, I just don't agree that businesses get any kind of pass for their role when they influence the government to change the rules for their benefit.
Sure, let's make them pay. I still think we need to focus more on the people who've openly betrayed the confidence of the voting public. As long as we keep blaming the corporations, we're not getting to the root of the problem. The only ones who can change the current situation without a revolution are sitting in Congress.
They're playing by the rules through their attempts to influence politicians to change the rules in their favor? I'm sorry, but that rationalization doesn't work for me.
So are the politicians children who are supposed to give in to the demands of anyone who comes waving candy on their faces? They are the ones who have the power, and have chosen repeatedly money over moral integrity. Corporations have no power to make rules. If legislators wanted, they could easily make it illegal for rich people to buy influence, or at least make it really difficult. Instead, they keep making it easier.
Again, we don't elect corporations to protect our rights. We as a society give legislators the ultimate power to decide what is allowed and what's not. That's a huge vote of confidence, and they keep repeatedly betraying that confidence. Nobody expects rich people to not use their money to gain influence, but we all expect legislators to have high moral standards and defend our rights. That's why we choose them for the job. If you don't see a massive difference between the two I'm afraid we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one.
I never said politicians weren't culpable. I said businesses aren't absolved. If we expect businesses to abuse the rules and their influence then we need to start voting for politicians who will put them on a leash. I don't agree with letting them off the hook just because they were incentivized to game the system.
Look, I have no sympathy for the corporations who're buying politicians. I think they're despicable. But I had no reason to expect them to do otherwise. That's my whole point. The real traitors are the people in the government. Sure, the corporations need to be put on a leash, and even made to pay for the damage they've done to society. But the harm that government corruption has caused goes much deeper. They've changed the rules and the status quo to the point where it's nearly impossible to get back to a real democracy, and have enabled corporations to do any amount of harm they want without any consequence, in the name of making money.
I think we're roughly on the same side TBH. I don't think the corporations are angels, just that the government has a much greater share of the blame. It's just that I keep seeing people talking about the evil corporations, and see a lot less talk about the treason perpetrated by the people in DC.
I do expect them to do otherwise. I expect everybody to behave with a modicum of decency and at least a little bit of empathy. But we've developed an ideology about capitalism that teaches greed is good and we should expect business leaders to be self-serving sociopaths. Should we then be surprised when this attitude leaks into other aspects of our society, like government? Perhaps I should say that I expect politicians to be self-serving sociopaths, only out for power and position. Does that let them off the hook for their abuses of power? No? Of course not.
We are largely on the same side, I just don't agree that businesses get any kind of pass for their role when they influence the government to change the rules for their benefit.
Sure, let's make them pay. I still think we need to focus more on the people who've openly betrayed the confidence of the voting public. As long as we keep blaming the corporations, we're not getting to the root of the problem. The only ones who can change the current situation without a revolution are sitting in Congress.