Any examples of the U.S. as a corporatocracy?

Answer 1

Bankruptcy laws gutted.

Insurance and pharma buying off Hillary so that she acts like she's never heard of universal health care.

Supreme Court ruling re demonstration of gender discrimination in salaries.

Cheney's secret public policy on energy.

Success of corporations in claiming patent and trademark rights on animal and human genes.

I'm too depressed to continue.

[ADDED] Just a word to Kooksja2 (below).... The question is sublime, because the issue transcends party politics to such an enormous degree. You so obviously don't get it - so WAKE UP!

Answer 2

Our wonderful Congress has actually let corporations and industries write legislation which they subsequently passed, the changes to the credit card and banking business and also the bankruptcy laws is one big example. Also laws regarding the oil industry and the pharmaceutical industries and others. The Republican controlled congress couldn't wait to give business everything it wanted, and apparently what it wanted was illegal workers, law firms that specialize in showing American companies how to NOT hire American workers, and a whole list of things with only one goal, putting as much money in as few pockets as possible and at the same time destroying the middle class and turning us into another Mexico where a few have almost everything and everyone else is left to fight over what's left.

Answer 3

The NIH find the cures for diseases (with tax payer money). The cure is given to the Pharmaceuticals. They market it back to the taxpayer to sell. They take all the profits.

Halliburton gets a no-bid contract and provide lousy service. KBR charges $100/bag of laundry. The corporations get wildly wealthy with no oversight and no accountability. They make billions and our "leaders" look the other way (or profit from the same corporations).

Corporatocracy? Yes. Some may say "Plutocracy", or better, "Kleptocracy".

Answer 4

Two recent examples that come to mind right off the top of my head:

--Back a few months ago when Congress was trying to get a raise in the minimum wage passed. You know, because it hasn't gone up in years and hasn't even *remotely* kept up with inflation everywhere else....

Were they able to do it? No, not without Big Business coming forth with their hands out....the original version of the bill *paid for* the raise in minimum wage mainly by closing tax loopholes the richest of the corporate rich use, so that smaller businesses wouldn't be hurt by this so much. But that just wasn't good enough for the suits, oh no.....it got stalled for months while the Rich Guys played around.

--More recently, the bill that was going to reform our non-policy regarding illegal immigrants from Mexico. It didn't get stopped by the politicians or the media or even the Mexicans.

It got stopped by Big Business raising cain that "Oh no, if we comply with the law and actually try to screen out non-legal, non-citizens from the workforce, it'll cost us *money*, boohoo...." And many of these businesses were big indeed, big farming concerns that make their profits courtesy of *cheating* by hiring people who aren't even supposed to be here (by law) for *way* less than minimum wage under near slave-labor conditions.

Basically, it was a case of Big Business getting caught doing their "business as usual" nonsense and their insisting on not paying any price or accepting any consequences for their behavior.

And that's just the recent, specific stuff.

Don't get me *started* on Halliburton, or on how the New Economy wouldn't die until 9-11 happened. Ok?

I can come up with more than that too, related specifically to Pharmaceutical company policy, predatory lending....this really is the tip of the Iceberg.

The Question is: Are *we* on the Titanic?

Answer 5

Big Pharma writing the Medicare Part D bill banning the Government from negotiating prices.

When an entity makes a large purchase they are typically able to negotiate lower prices based on the higher volume of what they purchased. The VA hospitals are an example of this. They are able to negotiate lower prices for the drugs they purchase based on the volume they buy. Big Pharma wrote the bill specifically banning the Government for doing the same thing for Medicare when it comes to drugs. Big Pharma makes huge profits and the taxpayers get screwed.

Answer 6

Corporate lobbyist
Corporate subsidies
Corporate financed elections either directly or indirectly
Multinational corporate influence
Corporations owning all of the media, I have heard 8 corporations own it all except a few local newspapers, thats radio, tv, newspapers.

Answer 7

Most members of Congress were capitalists at one time. That time has passed as more and more Democrats do not even hide the fact that they hate corporations and the success of low income-tax rates. The U.S. Treasury has never had more revenue in its history than NOW. This is a fact that many Democrats simply can't stand. I.E., we do not need liberal socialists for any reason.

Answer 8

Drug and insurance companies, Halliburton, Oil execs running the White House, Oil money in general, Wal-mart(and other huge companies) getting breaks on violations or having them erased completely.

America has become obsessed with big money and overlooked the values that America was founded on. Money, money, money, that's what I see, NOW at least, in American government. I hope I'm wrong about it, but I have a feeling I'm not.

Answer 9

Federal Reserve

Answer 10

Well, gee, for starters let's talk about Corporations writing the very legislation designed to "keep them in check" like Big Oil has done for the past seven years with the bush regime.

Corporations RUN this country. Ask any Congressperson.
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TO jhcpro: No red-blooded American would be caught DEAD shopping at WalMart. You are aware that they use mafia-type tactics to bully their suppliers into buying products manufactured OVERSEAS? Because it's CHEAPER than paying Americans decent wages to produce quality goods?

WalMart is a DISGRACE to capitalism.