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Corporate greed is a much debated topic in today’s society. Oil company profits are soaring while people are having trouble paying for gasoline and home heating. Bank executives are collecting enormous bonuses after government bailout money, while hundreds of thousands still face mortgage foreclosures. Big business seems to be recovering from the 2008 recession, but does not seem to be taking the people with them as unemployment remains high. In response to these issues, “Occupy Wall Street” has risen up to complain both that corporations are greedy, and that governments in the United States and around the world have enabled them to be so. One problem with the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) Movement is that it does not have any set claims or defined lines about the issue. There are thousands of people protesting for different reasons, and while they are all related to OWS, they are so different that it is hard to decipher what it is OWS actually wants and who is to blame for the continuing downfall of the economy.
In early March of this year, before the start of the OWS protest, Zac Ellis published an article about a speech given by Ralph Nader at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. In this article, Nader says, “Corporations are running America, and young generations are letting it happen”. Corporations are having a “dominant hold on the American society” and it is our job, and duty, to change the way things are being handled (Ellis). Nader opens his speech with a powerful statement, “The Constitution begins with the Preamble, “We the People,” it does not start with the Preamble, “We the Corporation” (Ellis). The points made in Nader’s speech, as well as the points made by OWS protestors, are valid points tha...
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Ellis, Zac. "Nader Highlights Corporate Greed in America | The Daily Beacon." The Daily Beacon | News, Entertainment, Sports, and Opinion from the University of Tennessee's Student Newspaper. University of Tennessee Knoxville, 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. .
Fonda, Daren, and Lisa Scherzer. "10 Things Millionaires Won't Tell You - SmartMoney.com." Online Investing: Stocks, Personal Finance & Mutual Funds at SmartMoney.com - SmartMoney.com. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. .
Gautney, Heather. "What Is Occupy Wall Street? The History of Leaderless Movements - The Washington Post." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - The Washington Post. Web. 23 Oct. 2011. .
"Politics." PollingReport.com. Web. 01 Nov. 2011..
Sam Dillion wrote “What Corporate America Can’t Build: A Sentence” for an audience of college students, employees and corporate people. In his article, Sam points out that companies are spending a lot of money annually on remedial training. According to Sam, the writing problem appears in e-mails, reports and texts. He is informing his audience to brush up on writing skills before entering the corporate world, in order to avoid remedial training. Companies like to hire employees with excellent writing skills but many of employees and applicants fall short of that standard.
In American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism, 1865 - 1900, H.W. Brands worked to write a book that illustrates the decades after the Civil War, focusing on Morgan and his fellow capitalists who effected a stunning transformation of American life. Brands focuses on the threat of capitalism in American democracy. The broader implications of focusing on capitalism in American democracy is the book becomes a frame work based on a contest between democracy and capitalism. He explains democracy depends on equality, whereas, capitalism depends on inequality (5). The constant changing of the classes as new technologies and ways of life arise affect the contest between democracy and capitalism. By providing a base argument and the implications of the argument, Brands expresses what the book attempts to portray. Through key pieces of evidence Brands was able to provide pieces of synthesis, logical conclusion, and countless
Henry Ford and Walter Reuther are two of the biggest names in the world of automobile industries and organized labor. They were both activists in their own way. Also, they were completely different from each other, one could even argue that they were opposites. Their ideas were contradicting, but still both of them had positive effects on society.
James B. Weaver illustrates the true damage of monopolies on the public in “A Call to Action” (Document 4). Weaver, a two-time candidate for president of the United States, addresses the meticulous tactics which trusts and monopolies use to increase their profit at the expense of the public and asserts that their main weapons are, ”threats, intimidation, bribery, fraud, wreck, and pillage.” Arguments such as Weaver’s, suggest and end to the end of the laissez-faire capitalism that monopolies are sustained upon. Laissez-faire capitalism is essentially a system where the government takes no position in the affairs of businesses and does not interfere, no matter what harm is being done. This ideology dominated the business world of the century and allowed for vast unemployment, low wages, and impoverishment. Soon, laborers also begin to express their dismay with the way that such businesses are run and the treatment of workers in the railroad industry. An instance of this being the Pullman Strike of 1894. In 1894, laborers went on a nationwide strike against the Pullman Company; they issued a statement regarding their strike in June (Document 6). Workers are repulsed by Pullman’s exertion of power over several institutions and how his greed affects his competitors, who must reduce their wages to keep up with his businesses. This incident inspires many to take
Michael Moore’s film of Capitalism: A Love Story is an examination on how much of a financial impact that corporation has on the lives of Americans. Capitalism seems to emulate a love affair gone wrong, with lies, abuse and betrayal towards the American people. Moore moves the film from Middle America, to the halls of power in Washington, to the global financial epicenter in Manhattan in order to answer the question of what price do Americans pay for the affection of capitalism. There is irony in the title of this film because there is certainly nothing to love about capitalism when families have to pay the price with losing their jobs, their homes and their savings as a result of the risky investments that the rich and powerful have at their disposal. With more than 14,000 jobs being lost, residents being evicted from their homes and banks stealing away families’ savings, one must wonder if there is an upside to capitalism at all. True democracy is the biggest threat to corporate America because of the one person one vote system. In order for this to take place, the growing number of people would have to come together and expose capitalism for what it truly is, a corrupt and greedy system for the wealthy.
At first glance, it seems implausible the word democracy isn't written in the United States Constitution, or in the Preamble of the Constitution, or even in the Declaration of Independence. One would assume a concept so paramount to modern American culture would surely be derived from one of its oldest and most endeared documents. Alas, it is not. The Constitution only specifically mentions two entities, the government and “We the People”. Defining government is an easy enough task, but who are “We the People”? Originally consisting of only white male property owners, eventually adding in other races, income classes, women, and astonishingly, corporations, the definition of “We the People” has evolved numerous times. Corporation is another key term the architects of our government failed to define for us, perhaps that is why it found its way into the phrase “We the People”. A grave dilemma lies in this fallible defining of terms. Granting corporations person-hood legislatively shifts the power of democracy from human interests to corporate interests. This corrosion of human interest can clearly be noted when examining the battle over corporate power highlighted in the court cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, and United States v. Sourapas and Crest Beverage Company.
The author expresses his grievances towards industrialized businesses during the Gilded Age and supports the American farmer. Therefore, the author references the “fakers” as fraud politicians who did not support the beliefs of the Populist Party. He then characterizes the “makers” as the independent business owners and farmers because they made lives for themselves without a strong dependency on these “dictatorship-like” businesses. The author primarily focuses on voicing his reproach for the “takers” of the Gilded Age, or the monopolistic business owners such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. He negates these industrialists suppressing individualism while showing little regard for the well being of lower class Americans. In other words, the author believes that Carnegie and Rockefeller’s monopolistic industries offered an unspoken ultimatum for Americans: either submit to our control or we will c...
With the four theories of political power as defined by "American Government", the main theory I feel dominate the readings in "Voices of Dissent" are the theory of Marxism. The theory of Marxism stands out like a sore thumb. With all the grumbling about how big business gets away with murder and can pollute at an ungodly rate, the major factor behind this oversight is the money, or plainly economics.
... similarities exist, in critically examining the differences, it becomes quite difficult to classify the Occupy movement as a communist uprising. Carl Marx envisioned a revolution in which the oppressed lower class was forced by economic devastation to overthrow the government and enact a system where each person had the ability to produce what he or she wanted. The occupy movement resembled Marx’s dream as it pushed for equality between the rich and poor. The Occupy movement, however, only pushed for reforms within the capitalist system to reduce corruption thus separating it from Marx’s idea of a communist revolution. According to Tumino, capitalism, by nature, regardless of governmental control, will favor the upper class at the expense of the workers. There cannot be change in the socioeconomic stratification without eliminating capitalism altogether. (Tumino)
The world of business is a dog-eat-dog world, some may win and some may lose. Large capitalist corporations take a great deal of revenue away from the local businesses. Big businesses dominate the American government and have much more influence and power than small businesses. By defining the importance of recognizing that big businesses has been dominating the government, by refuting those who claim that big businesses do not influence government practices and policies, and by presenting sound arguments and extensive research to show the damage big business has done to society and the influence it has on America’s governing body, one will be persuaded that big businesses has dominated the American government
The wealthiest one percent of our nation owns half the financial assets and 38 percent of the total wealth. They have more money than the bottom 90 percent combined. The next richest nine percent also have more money than the bottom 90 percent combined. These people are so filthy rich they can literally burn hundred dollar bills and laugh about it. But that's not why I'm upset; that's merely capitalism at work. Capitalism is important because it provides a framework for people to aspire for more. But the downside is that an entirely different class is produced. Although small in numbers, this class of people has an infinite amount of power. I get really upset when I see these people, who are already beyond the definition of rich, committing fraud or perpetuating unfair political policies that keep them and their friends so wealthy. This extreme greed and corruption are the targets of my attack.
The past few years, the United States has seen some rough economic times. The unemployment rate is extremely high and many people have lost their homes and businesses. Because there are so many factors in an economy, it is hard to find the right people to blame. The protest group “Occupy Wall Street” has come to the conclusion that corporations are making us poor by taking advantage of us and the governmental system. The share of income going to the top one percent of Americans has increased dramatically over the past few years and “Occupy Wall Street” is outraged.
A corporation was originally designed to allow for the forming of a group to get a single project done, after which it would be disbanded. At the end of the Civil War, the 14th amendment was passed in order to protect the rights of former slaves. At this point, corporate lawyers worked to define a corporation as a “person,” granting them the right to life, liberty and property. Ever since this distinction was made, corporations have become bigger and bigger, controlling many aspects of the economy and the lives of Americans. Corporations are not good for America because they outsource jobs, they lie and deceive, and they knowingly make and sell products that can harm people and animals, all in order to raise profits.
Since the unemployment rate was high for a long period of time it began to make America’s wealth distribution even more unequal. In 2007, slightly before the recession, the top 1% wealthiest’s share of America’s total wealth was 24% (Gitlin 7). After the peak of the recession in 2011, the top 1%’s share had ballooned to 40% and the bottom 80% of Americans owned less than 10% (Jordan 2). The 1%’s wealth had jumped 16% in four years because of the loss of jobs by middle and lower class Americans (Gitlin 7). This created a situation in which the wealthiest were getting wealthier and the middle and lower class were getting poorer. It is obvious that a system that continues to work in this fashion is very unfair and is not going to work properly. This sense of immorality with the current direction in which the economy is moving and the built up frustration of this system are just some of the many factors that sparked the original protestors to create Occupy.
Wall Street’s takeover of the Obama cabinet is now complete. Officially it started on Jan. 32, 2010, on that day the Supreme Court ruled that the government may not ban corporations from political spending on elections. Thus opening the floodgates allowing for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate officials into doing their bidding.