The Brave New Globalist World (What is the real intention of the multinational corporations?)

interventionmag.com ^ | July 30, 2003 | Lawrence J. McNamee

[comnet]

It took generations of hard working, sacrificing Americans to build our economic system, a system now being dismantled by small-minded, greedy globalists. By Lawrence J. McNamee

As Americans witness the flight of their manufacturing and now white-collar service sector jobs to Asia and Latin America and other nations with low wages, some are asking, "What is the real intention of the U.S.-based multinational corporations?" Perhaps economic globalism represents an attempt to equalize incomes of the First World and Third World. Yet this policy is impoverishing American workers and providing highly exploitative, low-paying jobs elsewhere. This could be discounted as just misguided economic policy if the policy was not making the highest investment incomes in the world higher still.

When the United States shifted from a nation where most personal wealth came from some form of productive labor to one derived from the value of stock holdings, short-term thinking and shallow, self-serving policies took root. At that point the very nature of the game of capitalism changed for the United States and for the world. The speculative economy can be reported as doing well, while the productive economy and its workers' incomes are marginalized. Hence, we have our current "jobless recovery."

Today IBM contemplates firing thousands of American software engineers so that the company can employ thousands of Indian software engineers. The Indian professionals will work for a fraction of the salaries currently paid their U.S. counterparts. This is what commentator Kevin Phillips calls "the race to the bottom." In theory, minimized wages yield minimized costs which result in maximized profits. Unfortunately, this also increases unemployment and reduces the quality of life in the United States.

Such short-term economic thinking has the potential to turn the "race to the bottom" into a race to global ruin. Men are not angels, and appeals to the marketplace or to modernism are only a thin coating of gloss on the ugly surface of unchallenged greed. When coal miners went on strike in 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt asked mine workers and mine owners to come to the nation's capital and negotiate in good faith. Representatives of the mine workers arrived, while representatives of the mine owners refused, citing a sort of "divine right of capitalists" as their reason. Roosevelt threatened to nationalize the mines if the owners continued to refuse to negotiate. Divine right took a fast turn and the owners sent their men to Washington and the matter was resolved.

Even in this age of lightning-fast communication, there remains such a thing as the national interest. Until globalist corporate America understands it is the national interest, and not short-term profits and stock market prices, that represents the ultimate "bottom line," this erosion of the economic infrastructure of the United States will continue. More jobs will disappear here and the gains to our neighbors will be small and temporary. The clock is ticking off a countdown to the end of the political-economic system that took so much of America's strength and heart to build. At least two hundred and fifteen years of innovation and sacrifice is being downsized to nothing.

Lawrence McNamee is a History Instructor and writer in San Antonio, Texas. He is the proud son of a retired American industrial worker.

[hedgetrimmer]

When corporations hire illegals, they become bad (Tyson, et al). When corporations sell technology to China so that they can build missiles that can hit North American and kill Americans they become bad (Loral). When straw corporations are created so that taxpayer dollars can be used to creat a high speed global communications network and is sold to China for pennies on the dollar, they become bad (Global Crossing).

In fact any corporation aiding and abetting a self declared enemy of the United States (China) is bad. Especially if they take OPIC money to insure their investments in China and take the US military to protect their investments in other communist/totalitarian/socialist countries.

[vbmoneyspender]

Was it corporations who did those things or people. You talk about corporations as if they are artificial intelligences which are utterly disconnected from the people who operate them.

[hedgetrimmer]

The reason people incorporate is so that they are protected if the corporation is sued or held responsible for a bad thing they have done. So in a sense the corporation is disconnected from the people that run them because individual accountability is missing. This emboldens corporate executives to do stuff they mightn't do if they were individually responsible for the actions of their corporation. Also, in large corporations, a lot of money is put at the fingertips of people to be spent on politicians and sometimes on social engineering. Most people would not donate to La Raza, or MeCHA as individuals, but plenty of corporate money goes to fund these leftist organizations. Why do you suppose that is?

[hedgetrimmer]

Bernard L. Schwartz committed treason against the US by giving top secret missile technology to the Chinese. Now he didn't personally do it, but people who worked for him sure did, as they were directed to do it. Net result was a new very lethal security risk for this country, and Mr. Schwartz? What has happened to him? Do you think he has been indicted, tried and convicted? Maybe a fine was levied against his corporation, but as far as I know, no individual has indicted in this crime.

[hedgetrimmer]

How should American corporations be held accountable to US interests?

[vbmoneyspender]

The reason people incorporate is so that they are protected if the corporation is sued or held responsible for a bad thing they have done.

And chapter 7 does the act same thing for individuals. Do you propose doing away with the Bankruptcy Code for individuals?

In any event, you are aware that capitalism has been built on encouraging people to take risks. It's called the culture of the entrepeneur and part of that very successful culture has been the establishment of the corporation, which allows people to invest in business ventures without having to worry about being wiped out if the business they invested in does not succeed. This method of doing business has demonstrated it benefits repeatedly over the past 400 hundred years. Do you have some alternate way that business should be organized?

Lastly, I am assuming based on your animus against corporations that you have never tried to start up a business yourself. Would I be correct in that assumption?

[yankeedame]

What is the real intention of the U.S.-based multinational corporations?

There are lots and lots (and lots) of non-U.S. based multinational corporations. Why single out the U.S. based companies? ...Oh, yeah...I forgot....

[Joe Hadenuf]

Lawrence McNamee is a History Instructor and writer in San Antonio, Texas

I am relieved, that at least someone in Texas knows what's happening......

[yankeedame]

They want the same thing every corporation wants - power. Power to make a profit.

So what do you think they're in business for? Their health? Besides, power doesn't make a profit. What makes a company profit is offering/delivering the consumer something he wants and at a reasonable price.

Pepsi-Cola, Sony and British Airways can't force you to use thier product. They don't have the power. Only the goverment can and will force its product on the consumer. It is only governments, not industries, that have "thr power".

[yankeedame]

Are you suggesting that multinational corporations don't utilize their economic resources to exert influence over Congress and government policies for their own benefit?

Of course not but remember: you can't buy what's not for sale.

[hedgetrimmer]

Ch. 7 and corporate liability protections are apples and organges. If an individual commits a criminal act, they are generally held accountable.An individual generally doesn't declare ch. 7 if they've commited a criminal act. If individuals through corporations commit criminal acts, what happens?

I believe corporations should not make any political contributions, nor spend money to influence legislation.

That is where the real harm to America lies.

BTW I have spent the last 20 years starting up companies. I have pointed out criminal acts of specific corporations. Tell me. Why would you protect entities that harm this country to the point of destroying the economy to "harmonize wages" with slave labor communist countries? Do you think the world your children or grandchildren will inherit is going to be a free world? Or a world where the corporate government siamese twin makes the rules, instead of the individual expressing their God given freedom? What happened to the federal government charter to protect the rights of the individual? When did it disappear and become a charter to protect the "rights" of a multinational corporation (whom we agree is an artifical entity and not an individual).

[maui_hawaii]

The actual status of a corporation doesn't determine a thing.

The question is, do you believe in right and wrong? That there are right and wrong things to do.

Finish the following sentence: "Profits are more important than..."

Lets find out where your lines are then we can start talking about what could make a company bad.

Here is a scenario: Bob has been a faithful employee for 19+ years at his employer. In those 19 years he has been promoted numerous times. He has literally never gotten in trouble even once. 6 months from retirement some Chainsaw Al type asshole comes in degrading employees and fires the guy just to prove a point and with no real cause.

His point is 'to show "them" who is boss and that they are merely "inputs" into the company and can be replaced.

Who is right and who is wrong in that issue?

[vbmoneyspender]

BTW I have spent the last 20 years starting up companies.

So you must consider yourself a criminal for having started up so many evil corporations.

[nmh]

Gary you have an interesting website. I enjoyed perusing it.

[gcruse]

Thank you. I appreciate that.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

"Roosevelt threatened to nationalize the mines if the owners continued to refuse to negotiate."

Sounds like Teddy could not be bought by the mine owners.
I wonder what he would do with today's U.S. based multi-national corporate execs that replace their American workforce with slave-wage foreigners?
Would he pretend that there is no problem?

Or, what would our current President have done with the miners and owners? Would he have sided with the owners? Probably. Would he have done what Teddy did? I doubt it.

I would love to hear the Bushbots try and say that Teddy was a Marxist who belongs on DU.

The fact is, our nation is facing an economic crisis. We need leaders of strong character who are not bought and paid for by several "U.S. based multi-national" corporations. We need more like Duncan Hunter and Tom Tancredo and we need to let the rest know what we think of them.

[vbmoneyspender]

The question is, do you believe in right and wrong? That there are right and wrong things to do.

I believe in individual responsibility. I also believe that I do not have any right to lifetime employment by anyone. Finally, I believe that I am not part of the victim culture that seeks to blame one's worldly woes on silly things like corporations.

[maui_hawaii]

Its impossible to talk to someone who spouts of so much stupidity as you have done in the above posts.

[vbmoneyspender]

You sound like a real victim. You must watch alot of Oprah.

[maui_hawaii]

Corporations are entities with real, tangible power. Part of the problem with corporations is that people hide behind their corporate face.

Largely it makes your deeply held belief in "individual responsibility" to no longer have effect.

If a corporation dumps toxic waste into the water supply of a local community and it ends up causing 30 deaths, who should be blamed?

Oh, I forgot, those who died or otherwise were harmed are a bunch of sniveling panzies who have a victim mentality.

And you talk of corrupt unions? That sounds like corrupt business.