Post by Aaron Graf on Oct 28, 2004 4:54:47 GMT -5
Corporate Control of Our Media, Markets, Land, Resources, And Democracy
Some people will define a fetus as being a human being. Some will say an embryo is a human being in this world. But our own law in this country will declare that a corporation is somehow a living human being. The mainstream news we watch, the shoes we purchase, the clothes we wear, the food we callously consume is almost all owned by large, for profit corporations in this country. What started off as something small and almost insignificant has grown to dominate and control almost all of our resources, land, and media in the US and throughout the entire globe. Although declared a human being, a corporation does not do what is good for the civilized world, that is not the intended goal, the intended goal of the corporation was to make a profit. Some would help out in the community, most will lobby with politicians, Republican and Democrat alike so they can find newer ways to attain profits. Some want more stations for their media, others want less taxes and lower wages, others want a lower environmental standard for them to pollute the air. Some want more markets, even if it means making many small businesses and small farms close up shop.
One example of corporations being allowed to do anything they want even when it destroys a community is NAFTA. In 1993, Pro-NAFTA economists predicted that this would increase trade with Mexico to 9 billion dollars higher. What was rarely stated was how two years later there was a trade deficit of 15 billion dollars. NAFTA also promised that it would create hundreds of thousands of United States jobs, in fact it has done the opposite. Although NAFTA supporters boast the 170,000 jobs created by the program they completely ignore the 9 million US jobs lost because of it.
As Ben Bagdikian pointed out in his book, The Media Monopoly. In his 4th edition, published in 1992, he wrote "in the U.S., fewer than two dozen of these extraordinary creatures own and operate 90% of the mass media". In the United States during 1983 there were over 50 corporations who owned most of the various mass media outlets, but today in 2004 that number has decreased to five corporations . If the media is a backbone of the American democracy then our spine has been torn out of us just so we can’t stand for anything.
A perfect example of a corporation that not only pushes down wages, but also causes many small businesses to close up shop is Wal-Mart. As Ralph Nader stated in his July 2nd, 2004 article: “They treat American workers worse than Western European workers. Moreover, they advise their low-wage workers how to qualify for federal welfare like food stamps.” Wal-Mart not only wants its own workers to be low-paid in order to have their own extra profits, but they also want their distributors to me the “China price.” This means that they either cut their workers wages and eliminate all benefits or they close up and set up factories in China. According to Iowa State University Professor, Ken Stone, Iowa has lost: 555 Grocery stores, 298 Hardware stores, 293 Building Supply Stores, 161 Variety Stores, 158 Women's Apparel stores, 153 Shoe Stores, 116 Drug Stores, and 111 Men's and Boys Apparel store. Let us keep in mind that this was just Ohio from 1983 until 1993. In 2004 suburbia has almost completely been dominated by the Wal-Mart Corporation in terms of sales. Wal-Mart is not the only one as several different other corporate stores such as Target, Abercrombie and Fitch, the Gap, Hot Topic, have almost completely shut independent clothing stores out of business. Stores such as McDonald’s, Olive Garden, and other large restaurant chains have also taken more away from smaller, independently owned restaurants.
In conclusion, America needs to value her small business owners and free enterprise in order to maintain the diversity and freedom on which she was founded. America needs to shed the grace that she has known on to the lands of her universal neighbors and put an end to the brutality under which outsourced jobs operate. America needs to show the world that the news is to be dominated by the people and only by the people, not by five corporations. But in order to do this Americans must be willing to take a risk. They must be willing to vote outside of the two party duopoly, if this means Ralph Nader, who is independent, or David Cobb for president then so be it. When Americans can get campaign finance reform we will also see our politicians not only on the air, but responding to what people need, not corporations. But with every great change in the US that has happened there has always been people in masses who have had enough of the current system. If we can restrict these aspects of corporate power than we can have a vibrant and glowing democracy, made by the people, for the people, and of the people.
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i The Public Citizen, www.citizen.org/documents/NAFTA_10_jobs.pdf
ii The Media Monopoly. In his 4th edition, published in 1992, he wrote "in the U.S., fewer than two dozen of these extraordinary creatures own and operate 90% of the mass media" -- Although was in that book, it was found on this site, www.corporations.org/media/
iii Corporate Un-Patriotic Behavior. Ralph Nader; July 2, 2004. This is written in his “In the Public interest column.
iv From the book “Slam Dunking Wal-Mart”, by Al Norman. However this was posted at a citizen group known as Sprawl-Busters
