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DU Home » Latest Threads » Forums & Groups » Main » General Discussion (Forum) » Why we're losing: The cor...

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 12:42 AM

AnotherMcIntosh (11,064 posts)

 

Why we're losing: The corporations have unionized

The political revolution we're witnessing now in America, which has been growing since the 1970s and 80s, is built on a new and even more dangerous form of corporate collusion. Just as robber barons figured out that they could form a trust to pursue their common interests, today's wealthiest corporations and individuals invented new ways to pursue their interests collectively. Essentially, the corporations and their wealthiest owners have found out that they could form a national union to represent their interests and entrench their power.

The representatives of this union are the lobbyists on K-Street and the members of the Republican Party. Its organizational structure is ever evolving and gaining strength: the American Legislative Exchange Council and Grover Norquist controlling Congress with Frank Luntz and Fox News spreading propaganda on the ground. In 2010, the Supreme Court unleashed the full power of the union thugs for the first time. The results have been catastrophic: the 2010 Republican takeover, the Wisconsin recall, and soon the loss of the presidency and Senate in 2012. After the fingers formed into a clenched fist, Anthony Kennedy provided them with brass knuckles and spikes.

Their new brand of collusion is every bit as damaging as price fixing, and it should be every bit as illegal. The Republican corporate unionization undermines capitalism at every step. There is no need to make higher profits by increasing your revenues. Simply pay your way to a regulatory code that will reduce your costs by putting your employees and customers at risk. Buy subsidies and loopholes that help you only stamp out your competitors. Write yourself a tax code that will increase the percentage of your investment returns. Own a few judges whose role is to limit your liability for damages you cause. The reality is that these so-called capitalists aren't skilled enough to rely on free market forces to increase their profits. But they do have enough wealth that they can buy the whole market and rewrite the rules in their own favor.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/06/10/1098843/-Why-we-re-losing-The-corporations-have-unionized

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Arrow 16 replies Author Time Post
Reply Why we're losing: The corporations have unionized (Original post)
 AnotherMcIntosh Jun 2012 OP
LineReply The rich,elite fucks own us.
 Phhhtttt Jun 2012 #1
LineReply It's about time someone realized there's a such thing as the corporate unions.
 Zalatix Jun 2012 #2
LineReply when weren't they unionized? organizations (chamber of commerce, national association of
 HiPointDem Jun 2012 #3
LineLineNew Reply Very good examples.
 geckosfeet Jun 2012 #15
LineReply They've consolidatd control
 flamingdem Jun 2012 #4
LineReply K&R
 SunSeeker Jun 2012 #5
LineReply API is the most dangerous union on earth.
 ErikJ Jun 2012 #6
LineLineNew Reply +1
 freshwest Jun 2012 #8
LineLineNew Reply +2!
 Bozita Jun 2012 #9
LineNew Reply wrong analogy
 SHRED Jun 2012 #7
LineLineNew Reply Disagree. Workers organize to promote their best interests. Corporations do the same thing.
 freshwest Jun 2012 #10
LineNew Reply "Organized" is more appropriate I believe.
 JohnnyRingo Jun 2012 #11
LineNew Reply Just Republicans?
 nxylas Jun 2012 #12
LineNew Reply Spam deleted by Violet_Crumble (MIR Team)
 Vonda36 Jun 2012 #13
LineNew Reply The one percent should be intelligent enough to know that throughout human history ...
 spin Jun 2012 #14
LineNew Reply Class consciousness:corporations recognize their shared class position
 kenny blankenship Jun 2012 #16

Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 12:46 AM

Phhhtttt (70 posts)

1. The rich,elite fucks own us.

It is as simple as that.

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 12:52 AM

Zalatix (8,994 posts)

2. It's about time someone realized there's a such thing as the corporate unions.

 

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:00 AM

HiPointDem (20,729 posts)

3. when weren't they unionized? organizations (chamber of commerce, national association of

 

manufacturers, etc) that exist to promote the interests of capital have been around a long time.

it's funny: unions for me but not for thee.

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Response to HiPointDem (Reply #3)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 07:09 AM

geckosfeet (9,644 posts)

15. Very good examples.

Also, the "simple fact" that mega-financial corpos control access to the nations core economic resources via loans, investments, mortgages, savings, borrowing money at 0% and and just plain old telling the fed when to print cash, kind of indicates who holds the strings.

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:02 AM

flamingdem (38,861 posts)

4. They've consolidatd control

and gotten around monopoly legislation, and we're reduced as humans for it

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:04 AM

Star Member SunSeeker (49,125 posts)

5. K&R

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:05 AM

ErikJ (6,335 posts)

6. API is the most dangerous union on earth.

 

The American Petroleum Institute-the union for Big Oil.

Every time I see that Big Oil whore on TV commercials during the Sunday morning news shows I want to throw a brick at it. Not only is it brainwashing millions of people how "wonderful" oil is but it keeps the Corporate News towing the line for Big Oil.

Somebody needs to do a spoof video of those commercials and make them go viral.

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Response to ErikJ (Reply #6)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:27 AM

freshwest (53,661 posts)

8. +1

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Response to ErikJ (Reply #6)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:33 AM

Bozita (26,955 posts)

9. +2!

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:27 AM

SHRED (28,136 posts)

7. wrong analogy

 

Corporate collusion in no way resembles organized labor. Terrible way to associate.

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Response to SHRED (Reply #7)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 01:47 AM

freshwest (53,661 posts)

10. Disagree. Workers organize to promote their best interests. Corporations do the same thing.

But since the corporations control the media, they demonize the names for the associations workers make to promote their interests. To simply catcall at the two sides as they and we are doing now, is not the full truth and does not serve the lesser party to the negotations, the working people.

Each group is looking out for its own best economic interests. Neither is altruistic, they have something to offer each other.

The worker is selling their time, sweat and ingenuity in exchange for a variety of payments. Their work creates what the corporation sells to others who want to purchase it, to pay the investors and management of the company.

Perhaps that sounds too simplistic, but when one strips away the emotion, moral judgment and ideology, they're partners. But one partner is embezzling the other as the terms of their contracts that never addressed the inequity that underlies the system they live in.

The capitalist, corporation, investor, or whatever name you want to assign to them, is in possession of various forms of property that it wants to change into a saleable item or service.

Those who do not own property, sell what is their only or main property, their body, time, work or energy, in exchange for money and benefits, or sometimes for room and board, maybe even less. It is their price to live on land they don't own.

The Earth has a finite amount of property, both real estate and other resources, that have been accumulated and held in the hands of certain groups or individuals. Argue as we may about how they got control of those, by conquest, coercion or bribery, for perhaps years, centuries or more and they have associations to help maintain possession.

They control a certain space and time, those elements that all live within.

The worker must eat, drink, have other things to keep from dying or losing their place in the world. The owner does not have that stark necessity and can play the game for as long as they need to get their advantage. The worker is born into a world that they do not possess. Very broad terms, but somewhat as Paine said.

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 02:26 AM

Star Member JohnnyRingo (17,704 posts)

11. "Organized" is more appropriate I believe.

And they've been sabotaging organized labor since the industrial revolution. Constantly pitting one worker against the other with wages, promotions, and benefits, they've convinced employees they're better off negotiating independently based on their own merits than banding together for the good of all. Meanwhile, companies have organized for decades to keep wages low, and the article correctly points out that they have it perfected in the 21st century.

No employer minds if one WalMart worker walks in the office and complains that his or her wages are too low or that they need health care.

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 02:35 AM

nxylas (6,440 posts)

12. Just Republicans?

The article ignores the role of DLC/Blue Dog Dems, but is otherwise spot-on.

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 02:50 AM

Vonda36 (12 posts)

13. Spam deleted by Violet_Crumble (MIR Team)

 

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 04:43 AM

spin (17,493 posts)

14. The one percent should be intelligent enough to know that throughout human history ...

when they gained far too much wealth and power it always backfired.

It's wisest for the 1% share the wealth enough to insure the existence of a strong middle class and offer all a fair chance for upward mobility. In fact if they do so they may well end up profiting from their generosity.

If you are running the galley and you tell your minions to whip the hell out of the rowers and insist they row harder and harder but give them only bread and water to survive on while you dine on gourmet meals, you may find that one day they will all simply stop rowing and throw you off the boat.

A 'More With Less' America
Michael Maiello, 09.07.09, 12:00 AM EDT
Lay off the American worker. No, not like that!

Happy Labor Day, hope you got the day off because chances are, you've really earned it. Productivity, the amount of output per hours worked is at a six-year high in America--it was up 6.6% in the second quarter and shows no signs of abating. It's the direct result of all the cost-cutting that brought the pleasant earnings news and helped fuel the summer's low-volume stock rally. Profits are up because companies have cut jobs, and for those who remain employed, wages have fallen.

Sometimes productivity comes from technology, and sometimes it comes from clever new management techniques that help people produce more and better products with less time and effort. This time it's the result of an ancient Viking management technique called "whipping the galley slaves." Step one, whip galley slaves. Step two, imply further whipping of galley slaves. Step three, boat goes faster.

The problem with the Viking method is that galley slaves eventually pass out or die and need to be replaced or the boat stops. The modern American manager has a more sinister technique: Fire some workers and give their work to whomever remains. The truly clever modern Viking will give the left-over worker a fancy new title so that the whole exchange seems like a promotion and hey, promotions usually come with added responsibilities, don't they? They also usually come with raises, but those are off the table as unemployment approaches 10%, and those with jobs rightly feel lucky to have them. "That Viking must think I'm very good at rowing," the contemporary oarsman thinks, "Why else would he dump four people into the frigid ocean while leaving me in charge of the whole side of the ship?"

***snip***

There are answers to this from all sides. But we haven't even started the conversation. It should be clear that America's workers deserve better and that the point of giving up so much of ourselves, our time and our lives to economic activity should be improving living standards, not just from generation to generation but year to year. American business can do better. American workers already do.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/09/06/labor-day-american-workers-opinions-columnists-michael-maiello.html

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Response to AnotherMcIntosh (Original post)

Mon Jun 11, 2012, 07:20 AM

kenny blankenship (15,689 posts)

16. Class consciousness:corporations recognize their shared class position

and understand they can achieve far more in alliance with each other against workers and consumers than they can achieve separately. They cooperate with each other far more than they compete with each other.

They get it. Capitalists, as owners and highly compensated management directing corporations, are a self-aware socio-economic class. Whereas, very few of their victims, many of which I see strewn around the boards at DU, seem capable of reaching the corresponding realization: it's us against capitalism, and we must take them on as a team. Or else we're going to be marched like defeated soldiers or driven like cattle, down the road to becoming another Bangladesh.

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