| Topic Name: |
STINKING CORPORATE AMERICA |
| Message Name: |
Re: Here Here! or rather Hear hear! |
| Date Posted: |
06/04/2001 |
| In Reply To: |
Now this is a chat I can sink my teeth into! I agree with everything you say, except the last part. Corporations were never held accountable by anyone at any time, even when our nation was founded. Look at the historical corporate giants, from slave mercahnts (self-explanitory) to the railroad and steel tyrants who imposed horrid work conditions on thier employees (leading to disease, accidents and death). Not to mention the textile mills of the early 1900's, particularly in the Northeast, which not only paid wages no one could live on, but killed women and children employees on a daily basis by keeping them in rooms where air couldn't circulate and chemicals from the textile machines sufficated the workers. Then there are the coal miners, and the forresters, I could go on and on. As bad as we may feel as corporate whores, at least we don't live in a time when getting paid ment risking your life every day. |
| Message: |
You've got your head in the right place, but Corporations were held accountable to the people at one time, for quite a while. The railroad and steel tyrants came after the decline of the people's power. The fact that slave merchants were allowed to exist is simply because there was not a majority in the electorate that wanted to end their practices.
The fact that we live in a time where we don't have to risk our lives every day is not something I'd take for granted. The reality is that we are being forced to compete with workers who have none of the same protections we insist upon. When the companies decide that it is more profitable to use those other workers, they cannot hesitate to use acceptable profitable means.
Free trade has its place and time, but the way it is being implemented now is very dangerous to the common man. It would be better not to implement it at all.
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