"And there are good corporations in America." Really? Name some.

[Common Sense Party]

That's what John Edwards said in tonight's debate.

But Corporate America is the source of all our problems around here, right?

ARE there any good corporations? And what makes them good? Name some, if you would (not AT&T and CostCo, since Edwards named them). And say why they're good and deserve my business.

[MercutioATC]

1. Ben & Jerry's?

If you need reasons, just hit www.benjerry.com

[Common Sense Party]

3. Okay, I KNEW someone was going to bring them up.

I should have specifically excluded them as a choice, because it's just too obvious.

[MercutioATC]

8. Plus, they make good ice cream...

mmmmmm, ice cream....

[RoyGBiv]

56. So ...

The rules were supposed to be something like name some good corporations except the ones that are obviously good.

In search of the elusive good corporation that pretends to be bad?

[Alexander]

119. Yes, change the rules of the game as you go.

That's a winning ticket. :eyes:

[Sebass1271]

35. wOW!! What a beautiful land Site!!

Is that Vermont? What a breathtaking beautiful state!!..

[Naturyl]

39. It really is.

I lived there briefly as a youth and often wish I could go back.

[mac2]

85. Vermont

has citizens who are involved and care. They worked hard to keep their state beautiful.

I have to call my mayor and remind him to have the trash picked up. As a tax payer who pays for that service I shouldn't have to tell him how important it is to keep the communty looking well kept and loved. We can't pick up the highway trash ourselves since the heavy traffic is dangerous.

[Sydnie]

78. But Ben and Jerry don't OWN Ben and Jerry's anymore

They were purchased by Unilever in 2000.

[mac2]

86. Ya...like Byers ice cream

they've been bought up and there is no promise to keep the product the same.

[AngryAmish]

124. Unilever is a Dutch and English Company

tho I think it is publically traded today

[mac2]

2. Starbucks

[Sarah Ibarruri]

4. They are anti-union. nt

[mac2]

6. It's listed as one of the best places to work.

I don't know about a union.

[Common Sense Party]

9. What corporation named that corporation as a good place to work?

Yes, they won't let baristas unionize.

[mondo joe]

14. Many baristas don't WANT to unionize. If more did, they would.

It's a very good company to work for in general - and ESPECIALLY for one in what is essentially fast food service.

[leftofthedial]

55. YES! And the same is true of Wal*Mart.

if more checkers and greeters and stockers wanted to unionize and have health care and pensions, they would.


Tool.

[ncliberal]

16. They have a union now.

Starbucks Union

I think they were forced but were still a good company to work for before the union.

[Fierce]

122. Yeah, but do they have a contract?

Big difference.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

12. They provide insurance to part-timers, but they destroy any attempts to unionize I heard.....

Look it up on the Internet.

[hiphopnation]

100. all of the union talk aside

they relentlessly force mom & pop coffee shops and cafes OUT OF BUSINESS -- local shops that personally know their patrons and care about their communities. how can that be good?

here in downtown sf, they replaced one of the most loved downtown coffee shops -- there was a line out the door every morning, it was a meeting place, the servers knew us by name and knew what we drank and cared about us. it's now a starbucks, no line, no warmth, a corporate facade with feigned interest in their customers.

i beg to differ with your assessment

[Orangepeel]

107. it is likely to be different in SF...

and most of the Pacific Northwest, but in most of the country, there were very few mom & pop coffee shops in existence before Starbucks created a market for them. Most people just didn't buy coffee that way.

[hiphopnation]

116. probably true

but i have not bought a singe thing at starbucks since they forced that cafe out of business -- their tactics seem so aggressive, this push to put one on every corner. seems to be a model for modern corporate hegemony.

but i know nothing of how they treat their workers...

[mac2]

5. Coldwater Creek

They treat their employees well with health insurance, etc. even though some of them work part time. They hire "older women" mostly but I've seen younger also.

[Mind_your_head]

47. Coldwater Creek.........

Ugly clothes for 'kept women' (with a 'sack-o-potatoes' around their middle)

PROVE ME WRONG!

[mac2]

73. I can tell you wear tee shirts, jeans, and sneakers?

It's not nice to bash women who want to dress well once in awhile. Frankly I was sick of seeing older women dressed in sweat shirts because they couldn't find anything to fit them. CC has many sizes. Coldwater Creek prices are middle of the road not like Nostrums or Sacks.

By "kept women" you mean your married sister, mother, or grandmother?

[Le Taz Hot]

96. Are you kidding me?

"With a sack of potatoes around the middle?" Fuck this place gets more ageist and sexist every day! Gonna start making "fat chicks" jokes now? Might I suggest The Lounge, they appreciate your sort of "humor" over there.

[Missy Vixen]

134. I agree with you

God forbid that those of us who are over 40 or carry extra weight should dare to be seen in public, let alone shop somewhere that we can find clothes that fit.

Julie

[Lorien]

115. I'm single and I "keep" myself pretty well, thank you

my waist is certainly a good bit smaller than my hips and rib cage. I own two dresses, a skirt, a body hugging silk blend sweater and a jacket from Coldwater Creek. I've gotten complements from plenty of 20 something men on the jacket, and the last time I wore one of the sexy sundresses the guy I was seeing at the time literally tore me out of it. I haven't worn it since as I don't want to spend more time sewing buttons back on to it! ;-)

[mac2]

118. I see all types of shapes and ages

in CC stores. Their clothes very well made and with nice detail. The very young can't afford them. They also want their belly showing which you won't find in high end clothing stores. They like close fitting clothes which is their choice. Many young girls have a doughnut around the waist not just older females. They still wear close fitting clothes.

Men today look like they just rolled out of bed...no shave and sloppy jeans, etc. No it's not sexy...only on the most handsome of men who would look good in a potato sack.

Yes...men like women of all shapes and sizes. Some women have no shape at all and yet...they are loved. What a world!!

[Lorien]

125. The very young can't afford them? It depends on who the young are

I was making a better income in my 20's than I am now (up to $80,000.00 a year back then). But no matter; my sexy CC sundress only cost $24.00. That's hardly "expensive" in anyone's book. I just wait for the 80% off sales. Go to their website; one is happening right now.

Sadly, women who are model perfect still get 1000% more attention in our society then any of the rest of us. I'm single as are most of my female friends and we all know that since we are no longer 25 and aren't built like Giselle our prospects are very slim indeed. Women far outnumber men, so there isn't someone for everyone. If you pass the age of 35 and are still a single woman in America, then single you will remain. Still, being without a loved one is better than being with the wrong one!

[Iris]

121. this doesn't even make sense

Could a "kept woman" even have a fat stomach?

[Mind_your_head]

43. Hahahaha!

That's a laugh!

Your college educated son/daughter may be working there some day VERY SOON - you better get your facts straight!

[Political Heretic]

71. They take very good care of their employees - I know.

[Political Heretic]

72. Well Thom Hartmann started several corporations - I bet they were good.

[stimbox]

109. Small Dog Electronics is good and they advertise on Hartmann's show.

http://www.smalldog.com

[Leopolds Ghost]

110. Supporters of Starbucks support elimination of local economies

"Mom and pop shops are a dying economic model," my yuppie liberal neighbors tell me.

They prefer predatory market analysis driven Starbucks model, also
shared by Wal-Mart and CVS, which calls for "flooding the market"--
deliberately building more stores than the local economy can support
until and unless all small competitors are driven out of the market.

Ask any real estate developer or market analyst if you don't
intuitively understand the principle.

It is monopoly economics, a variant of Stalinism (like the 3rd world
country that was lergendarily criticised for having a series of
strip malls, each numbered, each anchored by an identical liquor
store, numbered instead of named)

[Political Heretic]

128. I support how starbucks treats its employees. That's all.

The rest of this is an entirely separate discussion.
Thanks,
ph

[aquart]

7. Hyacinth. My mother and my sister's store. Handmade American crafts.

Aquarium Stock Co., Inc., eighty employees and all my friends got jobs when they needed them.

You really have no fucking idea what a corporation is.

[ncliberal]

10. Whole Foods

They treat their workers well. They have a salary cap for their executives. The CEO makes $1 a year. They do a lot for their local communities. They are environmentally friendly. They have two great foundations, etc.

[lapfog_1]

13. Bingo! and a hearty welcome to DU! - n/t

[ncliberal]

20. Thanks!

I've actually been here a long time. I just rarely post.

[Sebass1271]

26. Welcome

well, not quite. I have been reading DU for years too! and just recently became a member.. I am not that new i have just been in the background, reading and learning.. these DU members are really smart ass____!..

[Jackpine Radical]

92. So welcome out of the closet.

Nice place to interact.

[stimbox]

30. Whole Foods is a union buster. n/t

[rucky]

94. They treat their workers well, unless they try to organize. n/t

[brentspeak]

11. Edwards has said, repeatedly, that Corporate America's lobbying influence within our government

is the problem. The pay-to-play system is the problem. The politician-to-the-highest-bidder system is the problem. He's only denounced those corporations -- and politicians -- whose greasy palms in D.C. have managed to undermine the American Dream.

[The_Casual_Observer]

15. Corporations are probably a pretty good thing as far as the people

who get a pay check from them goes. Don't forget that a lot of regular middle class & underclass folks work for corporations, not just 5 or 10 fat-cat board of directors. Regular people work for the "evil" ones too. The populist depression era stuff is a hard sell to your average person working for a corporation that, at the end of the day, sees Edwards go home to a grand estate.

[brentspeak]

22. Why is it a "hard sell"?

Edwards' positions and statements are targeted solely to those corporations who wield undue influence within Washington; he's never railed against wealthy people in general.

He's talking about institutions, not individuals.

[The_Casual_Observer]

34. It's a hard sell because he's completely non-specific

about which corporations are bad & what exactly they are doing that is so bad. He offers absolutely nothing but the same old naderesq bromides that speak only to the same old "progressive" choir who probably have no connection or influence with the corporate world anyway.

Believe it or not, "corporations" are made up of people, mostly working people, who in many case identify very personally and have loyalty to these places.

[mac2]

91. We fought a revolution against corporate rule

The British Empire (East India Trading Corporation) had a monoply and were corrupt.

America has always been against huge monopolies since they destroy competiton and innovation. It also destroys the enviornment, workers way of life, and our security for good products. Progressives always won against the elite until now. There were\are more of us. Today we have a leader in the White House who is a "corporatist". He should be impeached for destroying us on every level.

[MH1]

74. BINGO!

This is what so many "progressives" either fail or flat-out refuse to see.

You can't call people "evil" (by implication) and then expect them to join with you for YOUR idea of "a better world."

[provis99]

17. Costco.

Where I live the new clerks start out at $15/hr, and move up from there. That's a solid middle class income for a stockboy or checkout cashier. They also get stock options in Costco at cheap rates, flexible hours if they want them, and a roster of good benefits.

[WillowTree]

52. Yeah. They're a great company to work for.

If you don't mind sexual harassment, that is. Just ask any of the women who have received out of court settlements to keep the fact that one of their highest level corporate officers is a serial sexual harasser out of the papers. I know one of those women. What she went through was awful.

[walldude]

102. "One" of their officers... well that makes the entire company

a bunch of assholes now doesn't it. Gimme a break Costco is one of the best companies in America. And to expect a company that big not to have a few bad eggs, especially in the corporate world is ludicrous.

[SammyWinstonJack]

18. I think good corps exist in America. Not all are evil.

Try goggling "buy blue" or "Made in the USA" and maybe you will find some and reasons for supporting them.

[Sebass1271]

24. I just posted that too!

I bought a poloshirt from then two years ago to support them!..
everyone used to ask me "buyblue" what's that!!???

[SammyWinstonJack]

49. ...

:thumbsup:

[tabasco]

19. Thousands of non-profit corporations.

Do you even know what a corporation is?

[Sebass1271]

21. Itsn't Google

Supposed to be one good company too?
also check out this link.. it lists all companies that are "Blue"
http://www.buyblue.org/

Buy BLUE, vote with your wallet. :hi:

[Book Lover]

37. Google "google" and "age discrimination" (nm)

[Sanctified]

23. Corporations are an easy target but unfortunately wihtout them

almost all of us would be out of job. Almost every small business out there depends on corporations, I run my own business but I know that if it were not for major software and hardware corporations I would be out of a job.

[Double T]

25. This company should be the supreme model for ALL corporations......

REI!!!! www.REI.com

Check it out!!

[aein]

27. Berkshire Hathaway?

Warren Buffett did just give a bajillion dollars to charity.

[begin_within]

28. Apple?

Oh wait, maybe not.

[rockymountaindem]

29. Some corporations are good, others are not...

but that doesn't mean that corporations in general should have the level of influence they have in the government now. Edwards' remark that some corporations are "good" doesn't make him a hypocrite where the matter of corporate influence in government is concerned.

[Liberal In Texas]

31. Southwest Airlines. The Container Store.

From what I hear, they treat their employees very well.

[blondeatlast]

76. Southwest is excellent. Family friends had a baby with severe heart problems

(since recovered, thank all that is good in this world) and he worked for Southwest. SW went out of their way and then some to accomaodate his need for time off and to keep his medical benefits stable and secure.

I've known literally dozens of people who work for Southwest and just love the place. I had the great opportunity to meet founder Herb Kelleher once and he was the most genuinely great person I've ever encountered in business.

Their motto is: The customer comes SECOND. (The employees come first and the idea is that the custoimer benefits from happy employees).

Always my fist choice when flying in the US, always.

[Sebass1271]

32. Also TARGET

Is a good corporation.. or at least I hear.. All I know is they support Democrats and gives Zero, nothing, nada to Republicans... TARGET: :yourock:

[TwilightZone]

46. Target donates millions to local schools and charities.

They donate a higher percentage of sales to charity than any other large corporation.

[mac2]

79. Unlike Walmart

they change their merchandise once in awhile. Walmart goods stay there forever. If they run out of a size..it's a long time before they get it in again. They don't have good selection either. I don't bother to go there for this reason alone.

I have boycotted Walmart for years now. Their treatment of the community and employees is criminal. We pay for their employee lack of benefits. They use slave labor, etc.in China. Sam Walton would turn over in his grave if he saw his greedy children today and what they have done to his dream. Yet another rich guy whose children are greedy,cruel and bad citizens.

[Cassandra]

33. Malden Mills, who make Polartec.

The man who runs (ran?) Malden Mills is a really decent person. Many large corporations, particularly public ones, are run by bean-counters and greedy shits who only know how to make profits by cutting costs, particularly salaries of those below. Mr. Feuerstein made profits by making more creative and complicated fabrics, working smart instead of cheap. Apparently, they're now reorganized as Polartec LLC.

[aikoaiko]

36. I lived nearby when the his factories burned.

Everyone expected him to move to take the insurance money and move to mexico, but he rebuilt and kept a lot of people (~3000 people) on the payroll while the factories were being rebuilt.

[Naturyl]

38. He was just trying to be fair

And he was trying to avoid the "Democrats hate all corporations and are anti-business communists" smear. Sadly, he almost has to do that because you can bet the mouth-breathers will say such things. Unfortunately, it didn't come off well and didn't seem sincere. It's the only small segment of Edward's performance I found disappointing.

[mntleo2]

40. IKEA?

...they are unionized and also take one day a year to share their profits with their workers and they are often STILL more reasonably priced than even K-marche'. I call that kind of neat ...

Cat In Seattle

[TwilightZone]

41. Perhaps you should do a little research. A corporation can be one person. A lawn service company...

could be a corporation. Or a day care. Or a home builder.

A huge number of small businesses are corporations.

That's the problem with stereotypes. They're often simplistic and overly broad.

[tammywammy]

50. Yep

[blondeatlast]

77. Very good point. nt

[Jane Austin]

42. Source Menagerie, LLC

That's our corporation which owns our business dogstuff.com!

[Jane Austin]

48. I should have said

We pay for Blue Cross-Blue Shield for our employees, give flex-time and time off for anything our employees need, start at way above minimum wage, gave a bonus at the end of the year, and there are always a few Golden Retrievers around the place for begging and mooching. :)

[Sebass1271]

51. great!

:applause:

[Jane Austin]

54. Thanks.

Now if we could just make some money. :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

44. My company

I have kept all my printing in the US... and all is produced in the good ol' US of A...

Ok I am a gaming company... but some of my direct competitors and larger companies have exported their books to Thailand, (outsourced), and damn it hate to work with their freelancers... but enough about me.

There are some good companies in this country... usually they are small to medium sized and are struggling to compete with those folks who outsource all, and if they could they would even outsource themselves.

[Hawaii Hiker]

45. Vivid Video

lol

[balantz]

53. Some corporations are better than others

And some are FAR worse than all the rest. The mega-monopolies are the problem, the ones with so much freekin' power over us. Edwards was making the point that he is not some scary anarchistic angry fuck wanting to rid the nation of all corporations, but he has a level head and recognizes that corporations can be to a great degree positive entities

[JDPriestly]

57. Costco is good. Trader Joe's is pretty good. They pay well

and treat their employees with respect. I like Trader Joe's. I thought AT&T was a poor choice because of the surveillance issue, but I think Edwards wanted to praise them for willingness to deal with unions. He is right to mention the good corporations. There are a few.

[unhappycamper]

58. Veterans For Peace, Iraq Veterans Against War,

all 501(c)3 non-profits.

[A HERETIC I AM]

68. ALL 501(c)3's?

Benny Hinn is the head of a 501(c)3. So is John Hagee. So is Pat Robertson.

[WilliamPitt]

59. My mom

Well, she used to be when she ran her own shop.

Go ahead. Call her evil and responsible.

;)

P.S. I agree with the sentiment, but broad brushes in ALL circumstances are only good for whitewashing fenceboards...and there ain't no fenceboards around here. So...

[2008]

61. And then you organized the workers and formed a picket line and put her out of business

didn't you

[WilliamPitt]

62. Nah.

Just sulked in my room and told the cat he was the only one who understood me.

He didn't understand me. Because he was a cat.

Selah.

;)

[2008]

63. He probably did

Cats are smarter than they let on.

[WilliamPitt]

64. Bastards

First time I see anything like opposable thumbs on my big-ass bufallo of a cat, he's gumbo.

Fuck that.

Thumbs mean tools. Fire. Technology. Weapons. Etc.

The horror. The horror.

He'll transform, immediately upon discovery of any/all thumbage, into a new fuzzy toilet-seat cover in my bathroom...I mean it, man...if I see thumbs, it's powder valley for ol' Eats-A-Lot.

Seriously.

You want *this* walking around with intelligent digits? Building stuff? Evolving???







I thought not.

;)

[Lone_Star_Dem]

87. Love the last pic

That's the best thing about big-fat-eating-machine-kitties, they're proud of their added girth and don't shy away from opportunities to show it off.

[spindoctor]

60. Maybe we should abandon the idea that corporations have character qualities?

Is an army good or bad?

[WilliamPitt]

66. Does an army have 14th Amendment rights?

Fair question.

Get the rights, take the responsibility. Right? You do that, I do that. Corps don't, because they're organized specifically to do just the opposite (generally, i.e. "limited liability," etc.). "LLC" is a tough nut to crack.

[spindoctor]

67. An army gets away with murder

Limited liability applies to the shareholders, not to the company.
Should anyone with a 401K be responsible for every action GE takes?

Maybe.

Corporate governance issues are as old as...well, corporations.

My point is that its wrong to view a corporation as a person, both legally and morally.

[WilliamPitt]

69. Santa Clara v. Southern Pacific Railroad, 1886

"My point is that its wrong to view a corporation as a person, both legally and morally."

Well...that ship sailed 100 years before Buckner flubbed that ground ball.

So...how do we fix it?

I mean, without annihilating the global economy and dooming billions to death by war, disease, starvation, etc?

Data: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_Personhood_Debate

:toast:

[spindoctor]

70. It may be an old discussion but its at the root of corporatism

Excellent wiki.

Will ending corporate personhood anihilate global economy?

Is it more effective (be it less lucrative) to sue the window worker for handing out hot coffee at the drive-thru than McDonalds?

The Sarbanes-Oxley act of 2002(?) already put responsibility (at least for financial reporting) back with individual managers of a company. We need more where that came from.

And what's wrong with constructing legislation specifically for corporations? Why should they be fitted in the frame that already existed for individuals? A person is a person, a corporation is a corporation. The first step is to recognize this and stop confusing the two.

[mac2]

75. Thom Hartmann

wrote a book about corporations being called "persons" illegally by law today. It's called "Unequal Protection". Corporations have huge power and wealth which is destroying our democracy.

Yes..corporations are not "humans" and should not be treated with the same rights since their only existence is to be profitable. States have laws regarding corporations charters,etc. because of past abuse but don't enforce them. CEOs steal from the company and leave the community in dire straights. There is outrage by some leaders but not enough.

Where is that Corporate Responsibility law anyway? Congress? Governors?

We need to change and charify the meaning of "persons" in the Constitution. It should be changed to "humans". It shouldn't be needed but today we have thugs who would abuse the law for their own self interest. Little they care about their country or the future.

[Telly Savalas]

89. Maybe I'm a little slow because I'm on my first cup of coffee

but I don't see in that article where it states what rights "personhood" grants a corporation that go beyond the aggregate rights of the shareholders and management of the corporation.

This "personhood" spiel seems tangential to most of the complaints there are regarding corporations. Would corporations magically start paying living wages if stripped of "personhood"? Is it "personhood" which grants a right to wreak environmental havoc? I'm a person, and I'd probably get in pretty big trouble if I were solely responsible for creating a Superfund site in my backyard.

Our system certainly has a lot of problems, but "Stick it to the Man" populist rhetoric does us a disservice because it sweeps all the important details on how to fix things under the rug. Taking down a powerful corporation is not an inherently productive thing. Ken Lay took down one of the most powerful energy companies in the world, yet most folks here would vilify him for wrecking the lives of thousands of Americans.

[mac2]

98. The shareholders and workers

are ignored by the managing elite (who aren't even owners). Read Thom Hartmann's book about corporation power called Unequal Powers. After your morning coffee go to the library or bookstore.

[annabanana]

127. The problem is that they are claiming citizen's rights under the

Bill of Rights of behalf of a corporation.. and yet do not admit to the responsibilities of a citizen.

(The whole point of incorporating is so that the owners of the corp won't lose their personal shirts if the company goes under)

[Mendocino]

65. Patagonia-a "slow company"

google slow company or slow movement for a description.

[Pavulon]

80. © 2001 - 2007 Democratic Underground, LLC(nt)

[lumberjack_jeff]

105. LOL!

[Pavulon]

81. dupe

[treestar]

82. Millions of unknown, small ones

That help their owners make a living.

Attacking corporations just because of their form is overinclusive. It's Big Business people have the problem with. And the problem with it is that it cannot be competed with very well, even with antitrust laws. And it employs many people, all of whom will defend their corporation, since they have their job with it, to the death.

Attack the issue rather than the corporate form or the corporation. What is it they did they offended? Laid someone off? Dodged its taxes? Polluted the air?

[blondeatlast]

83. Phoenix Perinatal Associates, LLC. without them, my beautiful 10 year old son

would not be here.

Some are good, some are deeply, cravenly evil. Like people...

[KittyWampus]

84. My 50 year, 3 generations old family business owning & operating a small but comfy Inn.

[ileus]

88. CONSOL

[TornadoTN]

126. CONSOL Energy?

I'm genuinely interested in knowing why you named them here. My business does some consulting work with them and I've never really heard anything bad or good about them, which is pretty odd given their industry and markets.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

90. trader joe's

[mac2]

99. Sulfate free wines

should be in the Trader Joe's stores.

[blondeatlast]

101. They are; in fact, I've bought several from there. nt

[mac2]

114. I asked in my local Trader Joe stores

and they don't have them. Maybe the choice of the manager?

[in_cog_ni_to]

93. Here's a list of BLUE companies. The site explains WHY they are Blue. I LOVE "Only Natural Pet Store

They reuse ALL of their boxes, only bio-degradable, non-toxic peanuts made from cornstarch (they dissolve in water or can be composted)AND...MOST IMPORTANTLY......THEY ARE 100% WIND POWERED! They purchase Green-e certified wind energy to offset 100% of the companies electricity use. They are a member of COOP-America GREEN business organization, and they participate in their local Ecocycle ZERO-WASTE program.

www.onlynaturalpet.com


Here's a list of Blue Companies

http://www.bluefund.com/why-blue/blue-companies

[walldude]

103. I was going to post the Buy Blue website but

they seem to be overhauling the site or something.. www.buyblue.org

[in_cog_ni_to]

112. They closed the site down. They said they'd be back for this election, but....

they haven't returned.:( I miss that site. I used it all the time.

[rucky]

95. Trader Joe's and Costco

they're non-union, but they're fair to their employees and as far as I know, there have been no attempts to unionize.

edit to add Melissa & Doug Toys

[HughMoran]

120. Agreed

They are good businesses...

[NeedleCast]

97. What we should see from this thread

is that while there is not any corporation out there that may be perfectly progressive, there are a lot out there that do more harm than good, even a few medium to large corporations. That's what I'd say is important to focus on...and where we, as democrats, should focus our buying power. If I have a choice between Target and Wal-Mart, I go to Target. If I have a choice between Starbucks and 7-11 for a cup of joe, I go to Starbucks (for more than one reason).

Corporations aren't evil. As I've said many times before, they aren't any human emotion. Good, evil, happy, sad, silly, glum...none of these things apply to corporation, it applies to those who run them. Those that run them run the gammit from ultra-conservative to progressive. Whether it's a board room packed with "suits" to a single person going "I could reduce carbon emissions by switching the store to florescent lighting" corporations are made up of people.

[rug]

104. White Castle makes great burgers.

[Leopolds Ghost]

106. Edwards said AT&T is a "GOOD corporation"??? Last I checked, Dillards doesn't spy on us.

[mac2]

117. AT&T

thinks more about the elite in power than their customers. Strange since they can't exist without us. Also we are the "government" and it is our country where they do business not the Fascist CEOs (who aren't even owners but employees).

[stimbox]

108. This thread needs a link to "The Corporation"

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=192012118972057552

[Political Heretic]

129. Why exactly?

As an owner of both the book and the movie, and about as radically left of center as you can come by, I am still not stupid enough to act like there's not a single good "corporation" out there or any good heads of any corporation. That's just asinine.

In fact, I was just listening to a story on NPR the other day of a woman who is CEO of a small corporation, and she a progressive activist. Part of her mission with her corporation was to prove that profitability and responsibility, community stewardship and just treatment of employees and the environment were possible. It was complicated and challenging, but at last report the corporation was profitable, and a huge amount of support from the community as they heard about the mission and vision of the corp.

She yeah, the message of the documentary is right on, and the corporation system, especially when it comes to trans-national corporations and corporate monopolies, is totally broken. But let's not get stupid and start making all or nothing generalizations, because then we just sound like schmucks. :)

[Rosemary2205]

111. I work for a one man "corporation".

I'll grant you he's nowhere near as big as Pfizer but he IS a corporation and IS good.

[BlackVelvet04]

113. Bed, Bath and Beyond....

one of my favorites.

All their contributions are to Democrats.

[Bluerthanblue]

123. Stonyfield Farm right here in NH-

Been around for awhile and does many good things-

http://www.sheehan.com/publications/good-company-newsletter/Climate-Counts-Stonyfield-Farm-Raises-the-Bar-on-Global-Awareness.aspx

[begin_within]

133. Mmmm... now I've got to go and get one of their yummy strawberry yogurt smoothies

[Tyler Durden]

130. Johnson & Johnson

VERY responsive to public input.

I CALLED them when their site had a banner for the "Lewinsky-Baba Wawa" love fest, and it was GONE in less than 60 minutes.

I was impressed.

[BlackVelvet04]

131. I went throught the list of Blue companies

and pulled out those that I recognized and most of which would be easy for me to support:

1-800-flowers.com
99 cents stores
Adobe
Bausch & Lomb
H&R Block
Blockbuster
Cherokee
Carole Little
House Beautiful
Country Living
Clorox Company
Coach
Colgate-Palmolive
Costco
CVS Corporation
Dress Barn
Elizabeth Arden
Estee Lauder
Family Dollar Stores
The Gap
Google
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters
Guess
Gymboree
Hasbro
Haverty Furniture
IHOP Corporation
J&J Snack Foods
Kenneth Cole
Liz Claiborne
Mattel, Inc.
Netflix
New York Times
Nike
Overstock.com
Polo Ralph Lauren
Pricelin.com
Revlon
SanDisk Corporation
Select Comfort
Skechers
Stamps.com
Staples
Starbucks
Steinway Musical Instruments
Steinmart
Tanger Factory Outlet
Centers
Western Union
Yankee Candle

[dmallind]

132. Subaru

Their environmental commitment is quite impressive

http://www.subaru.com/sub/misc/environment/index.html

[CorpGovActivist]

135. The Corporate Form...

... is used by many small businesses that do incredibly good work.

- Dave

[Coyote_Bandit]

136. AT&T?

Not in my experience.

If Edwards really said that then I have to question his judgment.