Tax
evasion by companies that have post office boxes in Bermuda, corporate
lobbyists with special interests, and mega mergers creating virtual
monopolies are just a few of the issues that are proving that
profits are more important than the greater good.
When
the deregulatory measures proposed by the Federal Communications
Commission came to a head again last summer, it was encouraging
to see the National Rifle Association and Pat Buchanan, two bastions
of right-wing politics, opposing it. Apparently they too recognized
the risk of having all of our information coming through a few
select channels. (Just imagine the horrible possibilities, if
some tree-hugging, pinko, lesbian were to gain control!)
Despite the danger recognized by both sides, however, the people
with the real power and money don’t seem too concerned.
A few weeks back, when Comast cable company attempted to purchase
Disney, most of the talk was over Michael Eisner’s less-than-perfect
performance. Few journalists brought up the fact that a merger
would put ABC, ESPN, AT&T and myriad other channels, Web sites
and communication arenas under one roof, enabling the new company
to favor its own, and charge higher prices to those it doesn’t
own. And Comcast, being one of the nation’s largest Internet
service providers, vocally has opposed any federal policy that
would ensure that broadband Internet service operates on an open
and nondiscriminatory basis. What wouldthe founders of democracy
have to say about that?!
Given
this, it’s really not that surprising that these issues
are not publicized properly. After all, the journalists whose
jobs it is to inform us of such dangers need to get their checks
signed by those who most benefit, so successful journalists already
have learned the very valuable lesson of “self censorship.”
In 1886, corporations first were ruled to have the same rights
as individuals, and since have been able to contribute to political
campaigns, and since have had a role (albeit an “indirect”
one) in policy making. This increasingly has left “democracy”
in a rather uneasy predicament.
A
simple Google search will provide oodles of examples, but one
that is well documented, and signifies an actual destruction of
the democratic process, is the calling of the 2000 presidential
election. The second network (after FOX News, another bastion
of right-wing politics) to call the election in George W. Bush’s
favor was NBC, and they were told to do so by Jack Welsh, then
chief executive officer of General Electric, NBC’s parent
company, and a major donor to the Bush/Cheney ticket … and
a major defense contractor.
And this is really nothing. Other examples go way beyond the simple
dangers of manufacturing consent. Consider for a moment what can
be done using the Patriot Act. It’s hard to imagine much
worse horror stories.
Last April, peaceful protesters stood across the street from other
protesters who were blocking the entrance to The Carlyle Group
(another defense contractor/Bush contributor), and were arrested.
The peaceful protesters were detained and questioned about their
political views and associations while held for 12 hours without
counsel.
The
post-Sept. 11 power of the government has gotten quite frightening,
and the thought that we maybe someday could be punished for our
political leanings (for example, what brand of gasoline we choose
to buy) only would make matters worse. It’s an important
time for Americans to remember that fascism, by definition, is
the merging of state and business interests. This doesn’t
happen overnight.
For
the sake of democracy, one cannot lose hope, but to illustrate
how “by the balls” they already have “the people”:
At a recent lecture put on by a leftist Web site in New York City,
the five panelists each had a bottle of Dasani, Coca-Cola’s
bottled water, in front of them. This was a group of very liberal
writers who no doubt would take issue with Coca-Cola’s environmental
record, among other things. Yet seeing that the lecture was hosted
by a nonprofit organization on a tight budget, they no doubt opted
for saving $20 by buying a case of Dasani, rather than a smaller
company’s water, but as a result, they were supporting the
ballooning influence of corporations in America.
Not
all major corporations are guilty of trying to inflict their interests
on the government (but they probably are all guilty of trying
to evade taxes on some level), but “we the people”
still DO have power, and must start to pay better attention to
what corporations have merged, what they now control, and if there
is a hidden goal in providing us with what they do.
This
is still supposedly a government “for the people,”
but the fact that we can vote is bound to become irrelevant if
all of our information is propagandizing only the interests of
the few.
For
past columns by Sam Selvaggio, visit his archive page at http://www.rawstory.com/exclusives/selvaggio/.
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