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OPINION

A corporate takeover threatens government

Letter
Comments (16)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

(Updated 3:00 am)

At the height of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln concluded the Gettysburg Address with the fervent hope that “government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish from the earth.”

We face the same concern today, though today’s conflict involves individual rights versus corporate rights. For many years, multinational corporations have moved jobs outside U.S. borders to avoid worker-safety regulations, wage requirements, EPA guidelines, various taxes and more.

Corporations profited. CEOs and shareholders did well. But U.S. workers were left jobless.

When corporations become too powerful, we the people are at their mercy. We now find ourselves in danger of experiencing government of the corporation, by the corporation, and for the corporation, in which case democracy shall surely perish from the earth.

Maureen Parker
Greensboro

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Snapper0274

February 22, 2012 - 7:19 am EST

"...multinational corporations have moved jobs outside U.S. borders to avoid worker-safety regulations, wage requirements, EPA guidelines, various taxes and more."

That is an indication that government has gotten too powerful. Just wait till O'care kicks in.

dubya

February 22, 2012 - 7:26 am EST

You'll be able to renew your tags and get a prostrate exam in one convenient stop...

nemo0037

February 22, 2012 - 7:52 am EST

Ah for the good old days, when workers had no rights, no insurance, and worked 12-hour shifts 6 days a week, in factories that were filled with dust, smoke and rodents. THAT was when America was great, and "retirement" was very close to being a "dirt nap." What say we go back to that sort of setup, eh? At least we'd have more people employed, just like in China!

forcefieldnc

February 22, 2012 - 8:23 am EST

right on.

forcefieldnc

February 22, 2012 - 8:23 am EST

American jobs went to China because our system has some modicum of empathy for human quality of life. The answer is not to destroy worker's rights so we can be like China. Give me a break.

Sawdust

February 22, 2012 - 9:07 am EST

That's far from the only reason. Workers have been protected for many years, the shift to overseas is more of a recent occurrence. High corporate tax rates, excessive regulations (environmental and others), and unionized labor also contribute to the trend of moving jobs to other countries. And as dubya said, just wait until Obamacare kicks in full force. You ain't seen nothin' yet.

We have a lot more to fear from too-powerful government than from too-powerful corporations. Doing business with corporations is voluntary, doing business with government is not.

nemo0037

February 22, 2012 - 9:31 am EST

Yeah, we can't regulate conditions in the workplace. Let the "invisible hand of the market" handle that if necessary. And workers should definitely not have the right to get together and even ASK for better conditions or wages. All that matters is that companies get the most profits they possibly can, right?

We hear a lot about "excessive" regulations, but that's just a mental placeholder, isn't it? We can probably find a list of strange-sounding regulations imposed on any industry, and condemn them, but do we ever bother to learn what the thought process was that led to them? I don't think any regulation would be created for no reason, or just to give government inspectors something extra to do.

Similarly, unions get a bad rap here in America, but is is really such a bad thing for workers to get together to demand more humane treatment from employers? If they did not demand better pay or work conditions as a unified group, American workers would never have made the progress that we seem to think is only "natural" today. Don't knock unions. Eventually, they will exist all around the world, and factory owners need to factor that into their long-term plans.

ghost from white oak

February 22, 2012 - 9:49 am EST

" I don't think any regulation would be created for no reason, or just to give government inspectors something extra to do."
Don't bet on it!

dubya

February 22, 2012 - 12:11 pm EST

We'll all be standing in the government's bread line, but the snails, field mice and worms will appreciate us...

RandolphBloke

February 22, 2012 - 4:47 pm EST

"Doing business with corporations is voluntary..."

It really isn't that simple. Some corporations are so incredibly large now that you often have no choice but to give them business unless you completely isolate yourself in a cabin in the middle of nowhere and live a life a luddite might appreciate.

I think BOTH need to be limited on some level. Letting corporations run rampant is no better than letting government run rampant.

Bosco

February 22, 2012 - 8:53 am EST

Maureen, you need to call your broker.

wctbl?

February 22, 2012 - 9:02 am EST

Where has "terrier" gone?

BillWright

February 22, 2012 - 1:11 pm EST

The triple blow of unionism/minimum wage/over regulation

Sawdust

February 22, 2012 - 1:36 pm EST

And high tax rates. There's an interesting article in the UK Telegraph about raising tax rates. It seems they listened to our occupiers and raised the tax rates on the evil, stinking, filthy rich. In an effort to collect more revenues, of course. The result? Decreased revenues collected. Of course. Lefties in any country never seem to be able to grasp the simple idea that tax rates can change economic behavior, despite it having been proved over and over again.