Elect Barack Obama
Impeach Bush & Cheney!
"Google" your Voter Registration
Register to Vote
Vote Early-Absentee-Nov4
Visit the Democratic Party
Form a for-profit Corp. to run govt. with people as equal stockholders
For-profit corporations work better than government bureaucracy. Why not form a for-profit corporation to run our government in which the people are equal stockholders of non-negotiable stock? The people could have online referendums to do the hiring and firing of corporate employees and so on.
Printer-friendly versionJoin us & contribute
Proud members of the Democratic Party
Copyright 2006 Democrats.com. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy
For-profit Corp. to run govt. (cont.)
"For-profit corporations work better than government bureaucracy. Why not form a for-profit corporation to run our government in which the people are equal stockholders of non-negotiable stock? The people could have online referendums to do the hiring and firing of corporate employees and so on."
The problem now seems to be that government is run by corporations for THEIR stockholders, not for ALL the people. In this way we could have economic democracy as well as the efficiencies of for-profit corporations.
To answer your question in a
To answer your question in a nutshell: For-profit corporations work better than governmental bureaucracy because they are NOT democracies, and are dictatorial in nature.
The business of a democratic government is to regulate commerce, but not to be a part of it. The last half of that sentence is the one that Republicans, and evidently some Greens, don't understand.
this is a good idea, except
This is a good idea except the Government doesn't sell stock. This is one thing I can't understand.It seems to me if this would become a reality the Government would have more money, but the shareholders would have more power to make decisions. It is even possible that we could throw out the taxation bureau.
There's the problem with
There's the problem with that pesky "god-damned piece of paper," the Constitution of the United States of America.
What you and the originator of this node are proposing is exactly what the neocons are attempting to do: privatize the Constitutionally-mandated representative democracy of the United States of America. That is just another definition of Fascism.
For your information, "shareholders" have as much power over a particular publically-owned company as money will buy -- the more shares you own, the more power you have. That is precisely the problem with our current cabal of corporate whores in all three branches of government: too many of their "shares" are owned by their fascist corporate pimps.
The only "product" of a democratic government is "Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness," and is not subject to a per-share value. All American Citizens are stakeholders in the Constitution, and in the governing of its mandates through their elected representatives.
Bluetiger
A governing corporation could issue stock to the public in equal shares of present government assets. We would all own our government's stock in equal, non-negotiable, non-transferable shares. The public would never stand for the giveaway of public airwaves or for other forms of corporate welfare. If we were all the board of directors, we would direct management to maximize profits like in any other private corporation, increasing the value of our shares and the quality of all our lives.
I suppose you could say that the for-profit corporation we form to govern ourselves would be a private corporation owned by the public. Eventually, we could eliminate taxes because revenues could pay for all our infrastructure and services that the government now provides through our taxes. Thank you
Are you kidding run America like a business?
"For-profit corporations work better than government bureaucracy. Why not form a for-profit corporation to run our government in which the people are equal stockholders of non-negotiable stock?" ezeflyer
For profit corporations don't work better than government because:
-Corporations have to make a profit, therefore aren't as cheaply run as non-profit ones. In an age of huge CEO bonus, benefits, and pensions without proper management or success, we'd be silly to copy their example.
-Before Civil Service the government was so full of cronyism and private interests bagging tax payer dollars our country couldn't function properly. Teddy Roosevelt changed all that.
Read Gore Vidal's book "1876" about how our country was doing one hundred years after its founding.
-Federal Civil Service and military life time employees are more loyal to their organization because it is their country and democracy. The aren't the most highly paid but their jobs are for life. They can be sure of benefits and pensions (at least until Bush).
The "Whistle Blowers" let the press know when the organization is not up to the best interests of our country and the health of our citizens.
That's why the RW wants them "privitized" to steal our assets and shut up life time employee agencies who regulate government for us.
-Corporations aren't democratic. We the citizens have no say in what they do that might effect our communities, health, enviornment, and safety. Government regulation and oversight is needed.
-Corporations don't care about community, humans, war, disaster, etc. They manufacture a product for market. Good or bad you buy it or not. They refuse products if you can't pay, etc.
-Corporations can be bought up by a foreign enemy who might not have our best interest at heart. Our ports and airport security companies have been bought up by foreign corporations. Is that safe? How do we know who and what is going in and out of our country?
If this is true than the American Corporation run by Bush from the White House is a huge, corrupted failure. We have huge debt and our country has a big trade deficit. Largest in history. Any CEO would be long gone if they couldn't/wouldn't tell where the trillions went.
If you believe this CEO Bush is a bad President of our country, push for impeachment.
dove
I also agree with much of what you say. But if you've ever had to stand in line for a government service, you understand why people here tend to prefer capitalism. Unregulated capitalism is fascism and unregulated socialism is communism. A strong man or dictator invariably appears. In the instance of capitalism, through concentration of wealth. In communism, through concentration of power. So regulation is the trick that makes them work. And who can better make regulations than the people who own the government?
In a democracy, people make the rules, not plutocrats or commissars. I think my proposal could give us the best of both systems. We could call it collective capitalism. Our governing corporation keeps the others under control, protects our assets and earns us profits that would otherwise be directed to or stolen by other for profit corporations. Corporations might be able to bribe politicians and bureaucrats, but they would have a hard time bribing everybody.