Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site cascade.ARPA Path: utzoo!lsuc!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ukma!psuvm.bitnet!psuvax1!burdvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!scgvaxd!felix!oliveb!glacier!cascade!marks From: marks@cascade.ARPA Newsgroups: net.politics.theory Subject: Re: capitalism vs. democracy??? Message-ID: <27@cascade.ARPA> Date: Wed, 11-Dec-85 06:06:23 EST Article-I.D.: cascade.27 Posted: Wed Dec 11 06:06:23 1985 Date-Received: Mon, 16-Dec-85 19:42:15 EST References: <261@gargoyle.UUCP> <286@frog.UUCP> <267@gargoyle.UUCP> <1793@teddy.UUCP> Organization: Stanford University Center for Integrated Systems Lines: 51 In article <1793@teddy.UUCP> lkk@teddy.UUCP writes: > >... It is instructive to note that even the >500th largest bank in the world (in Italy, I beleive) has more >financial reserves than any countries except the Soviet Union and the >United States. > >The gross sales of Exxon are larger than the GNP >of most third world countries. > >With such economic significance, these corporations become >quasi-nations unto themselves in the world of international finance. I would like to point out some important distinctions between corporations and governments. Corporations cannot throw people in jail. Corporations cannot wage military war. Corporations cannot levy taxes and alter them at will. >When approaches the Chairman of Chase >Manhattan Bank for a loan, it is the banker who has the upper hand. Oh? When decides to default on his loan from Chase Manhattan, who has the upper hand? The ; why else would the Chairman of Chase Manhattan ask the U.S. Government to bail him out? >Thus, David Rockefeller has the ability to drastically affect the >fortunes of millions of people the world over. Was he elected by >them? No. No, he wasn't elected, but he was voluntarily chosen by them. His customers chose to do business with him, but they could just as easily have chosen someone else. We need a clear definition of what "power" is. Carnes and Kolodney insist that corporations have "power", but they have none of the powers that I mentioned above, i.e. enforcing laws, levying taxes, waging war. What kind of power do you mean? Also, what is your solution to this perceived problem? Should we nationalize all corporations larger than the smallest nation, or some other equally arbitrary limit? Should we remove David Rockefeller from his post and make his decisions by majority vote? Stuart -- Stuart Marks, Center for Integrated Systems, Stanford University {ucbvax,decvax}!decwrl!glacier!marks, marks@su-cascade.ARPA "Is not Napoleon. Is not Hitler. Is not Mussolini. Is Allegro con Brio!" -- Toscanini, on Beethoven's 3rd Symphony, "Eroica"