Corporate Influence on Our Political System free essay sample

Corporate Influence on our Political System Anthony Wade Dr. Donatus Uzomah English 215 June 4, 2011 Corporate Influence on our Political System The American political system is built on simple but revolutionary principles from our founding Fathers. These principles state that self-governance is an absolute right and the governments purpose is to serve the interests of the people. Characteristics which are essential to a healthy, functioning democracy.But America has stumbled upon a formidable roadblock to the realization of our founding fathers dream, as Lincoln said, of a country that is of the people, by the people and for the people( Citizens at Work, 2003). There are many factors that distort this reality and the main culprit is the multi- national corporations that are stealing the voices of the people which threatens the interest of American citizens. A good example would be how banking and oil interests have used lobbyists to limit regulatory over site in their prospective industries. Their undue influence has resulted in the biggest financial and environmental disasters in our nations history. The following is an overview of the history of corporate interests, the impact that corporate influence has on the Democratic process and society as a whole. In recent years, corporate influence on our government has dramatically increased. Corporations represented by special interest groups and lobbyists have increased substantially, along with their influence on politicians.This undue influence has given the appearance that the government is now more representative of corporate interests than those of the people it is suppose to represent. The result has been a disparity in wealth between the rich and poor which is now at its highest rates in American history, and still growing. As you will see, the influence and power yielded by the corporations have been detrimental to our democracy. This has not always been the case.In the early history of the United States, corporations had very little influence over government or elections. Corporations required a charter to exist which placed limitations on what it could and could not do. That all changed in 1886 with the Supreme Court decision in the case of Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad. This ruling , based on the Fourteenth Amendment that protects the rights of freed slaves, gave corporations the rights of a person (Shah, 2002). Which meant that they were now afforded protections under the Constitution.This also meant, that corporations were afforded all the opportunities of individual citizens, such as the right to purchase land, and influence the government in their own interests, among other things (Shah, 2002). The result was, corporations could use the same constitutional rights as citizens to challenge attempts to their power. The fact that corporations were granted same rights as a person, would seem unconstitutional. According to the Thirteenth Amendment, Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exists.If this is true then how can a corporation be owned shareholders and still be constitutional. Shareholders own corporations and corporations own corporations, so if in fact a corporation was a person, to maintain its corporate structure, slavery would have to be made constitutional. The importance of this new corporate status of personhood cannot be overstated, corporations gained constitutional rights of free speech, protections from search and seizure and freedom from discrimination. All of which, can manifest itself into legalized corporate abuses (Citizens at Work, 2003).As stated by Richard Robins in, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, the Supreme Court ruling of 1886, set the stage for full scale development of capitalism, by handing to corporations the right to use their economic power in a way they never had before. A more recent Supreme Court ruling in Citizens v. Federal Election Committee affirmed more power for corporations to influence the electoral process, even more than they already had. Corporations are now able to spend unlimited sums of money in the electoral process by funding political commercials and other propaganda to use for or against a candidate.Campaign donations and lobbying are other methods used by corporations to influence government officials and policy. A good example, in the election cycle of 2000, there was an estimated $1. 2 billion given to congressional campaigns in both parties, by corporations. . Unless you are rich, it is nearly impossible to run a viable congressional campaign without corporate financial backing, since their donations make up about 75% of the money that candidates receive . In the most recent election, the candidate who raised the most money won 94% of the time (Citizens at Work, 2003).Without corporate money, it is very difficult for politicians to win elections and maintain their office. Once elected, politicians are inundated with constant reminders from lobbyists, of whose money helped elect them. According to the Office of Public Records, in 2009 there were almost 14,000 lobbyists who were supported by $3. 5 billion of corporate money (geekacademy. com, 2010). With the combination of lobbyists and political donations, corporations are able to pressure politicians to help frame issues that are more favorable to them.And at the same time, keeping critical issues from being brought before Congress which those corporations are against. Political donations and corporate lobbying have proved to be an excellent investment for corporations due to the billions in tax breaks and subsidies they receive yearly. The Department of Treasury estimates that between $70 and $155 billion disappears into the Bermuda Triangle of off shore tax havens each year (Citizens at Work, 2003).A decline in corporate taxes means less revenue for the federal budget and places the burden of making up that revenue on the US workers, through payroll taxes. How do corporations use lobbyists to influence policy decisions in Congress? Lobbyists depend on special relationships they have with members of Congress and the Executive Branch. They maintain these special relationships by keeping in regular contact with key individuals, and having served in the government themselves, lobbyists may have worked with the very same people they are now lobbying. These relationships give them valuable insight into the inner workings of how things get accomplished in government. A good example is, there is a high demand for retired members of the House or Senate to serves as lobbyists for major corporations. These retired members of Congress know the laws and regulation relating to their new employers industry, and they know the inner dealings that went into making those laws. Whats more, former representatives and senators maintain the privilege of going on to the floor of their old chambers.That means that during a vote on a bill, they can go on the floor and lobby current senators or representatives as the case may be. No other lobbyists can do this. So these former legislators have a greater ability to influence the process than someone who doesnt have the privilege of the floor, or the other connections they do. Thus ex-senators and ex-representatives are often valued as lobbyists (Triebwasser, 1998). Many corporations use their government influences to manipulate free trade agreements, so they can enter into international markets that have little regulation and even less monitoring.Corporations use trade agreements to circumvent national safety and environmental standards by claiming these are barriers to free trade. The problem is, this not only reduces our sovereignty, but is a danger to our democracy, as well. A good example would be NAFTA, which has been devastating to the safety of workers and has lessened environment protections on corporations. During its negotiations, human and labor rights, environment protections, and democratic accountability were consciously excluded (Citizens at Work, 2003).The result was the loss of hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs, suppressed real wages and reduced worker benefits. Corporations on the other hand, have saved billions on labor costs and costly environmental regulations and have effectively canceled their social contact with the public. Jeff Faux writes in the American Prospect, NAFTA thus represents the most extreme example of the so-called neoliberal model, in which supranational rules liberate the private corporate investor from the constraint of democratic public values (Faux, 2003).The general purpose of why corporations exist, is to maximize shareholder value. This economic imperative translates into, corporations will do whatever it takes to maximize their gains while externalizing all possible costs onto society. The result has been that workers and the environment have become the victims of corporate irresponsibility. With the recent wave of corporate mergers, wealth has been consolidated down to a small number of corporations. In fact, 51 of the worlds 100 largest economies are corporations, while only 49 are countries (see Appendix B). The result is that unaccountable corporations and corporate dominated institutions like the IMF, World Bank and the WTO have more power and influence over governments than the country themselves (Triebwasser, 1998). There is a growing sentiment that a majority of Americans believe there should be less corporate influence on government. According to a recent Gallop poll (see Appendix A), The large majority of Americans (62%) want major corporations to have less influence in the United States.While this is down from a peak of 68% in 2008, it remains well above the 52% recorded in 2001. Relatively few Americans would prefer to see corporations gain influence, but the 12% recorded this year is the highest to date (Saad, 2011). Voters have pushed back against the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United, which took away government power to limit campaign donations and effectively overturned laws in 24 states that banned political expenditures from corporations. Legislative initiatives no w require that corporations have shareholder approval of corporate political spending. Other voter tactics include referendums supporting an anti-corporate personhood amendment to the Constitution, which would take away corporations rights as a person. And encouraging shareholders to adopt resolutions for corporations to adopt corporate accountability. Fighting to ensure that public officials are independent of corporate influence and are beholden only to their voting constituents, activists and public interest advocates throughout the twentieth century have championed various campaign finance reforms aimed at curbing corporate influence in government.Since the Supreme Court decision allowing expanded opportunities for corporations to contribute to election campaigns, the debate surrounding political donations has become increasingly visible and the necessity for reform clear to the public. Theodore Roosevelt once said, let us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making contributions for political purpose, directly or indirectly. It is up to the people t o decide if they wish to live in a democracy or a plutocracy (Citizens at Work, 2003). Political finance reform is needed to prevent corporations from benefiting from political donations. Eliminating corporate money from the electoral process is one of the reforms that can help eliminate corporate influence of government. The ultimate goal of campaign finance reform is to move to full public financing of federal and state elections. Two thirds of Americans favor public financing of election campaigns, if it means eliminating corporate and special interest money. A conservative estimate in fixing the political system by removing corporate money and replacing it with taxpayer dollars, is about $5. 2 billion a year, representing one tenth of one percent of federal revenue (Sayles, 2010).Corporate influence would be seriously in the political system would be seriously curtailed, making it possible for solid candidates from all backgrounds to compete. Appendix A The new data come from a Jan. 7-9 Gallup poll. The same survey found 67% of Americans dissatisfied with the size and influence of major corporations in the country today, the highest level since Gallup first asked this question in 2001. Of seven aspects of the United States rated in the poll, Americans are the least satisfied with corporate influence. Appendix BThe following are collected from a report by the Institute for Policy Studies. The report is called Top 200: The Rise of Corporate Global Power. Over time, additional facts and stats will be added from other sources as well. 1. Of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations; only 49 are countries (based on a comparison of corporate sales and country GDPs). 2. The Top 200 corporations sales are growing at a faster rate than overall global economic activity. Between 1983 and 1999, their combined sales grew from the equivalent of 25. 0 percent to 27. 5 percent of World GDP. 3. The Top 200 corporations combined sales are bigger than the combined economies of all countries minus the biggest 10. 4. The Top 200s combined sales are 18 times the size of the combined annual income of the 1. 2 billion people (24 percent of the total world population) living in severe poverty. 5. While the sales of the Top 200 are the equivalent of 27. 5 percent of world economic activity, they employ only 0. 78 percent of the worlds workforce. 6. Between 1983 and 1999, the profits of the Top 200 firms grew 362. 4 percent, while the number of people they employ grew by only 14. 4 percent. 7.

Social Informatics International Accreditation Forum

Question: Discuss about theSocial Informaticsfor International Accreditation Forum. Answer: New Way of Doing Existing Activity Using the IAF Future Process: The new way of doing the existing activity using the IAF (International Accreditation Forum) can help in carrying out innovative business practices in the retail sector of Australia. The retail operators in Australia can consider the implementation of the innovative business practices by actively recognizing the problems that are existent in the retail space of Australia. The retail industries In Australia can implement similar systems of Alfred Point of Sale system as has been implemented by the Commonwealth Bank to acquire more customer data (Aiello and McFarland 2015). In addition to this, the retail industry in Australia can also take into account the process of implementation of the best practices such as the Open ERP that can aid the companies in handling several number of sale orders, handling different points of sale, e-commerce, diverse inbound sales. The business corporations operating in the retail industry can implement innovative inbound marketing actions associated to t he 360-degree reporting engine, CRM, timesheets, financial as well as accounting applications. In addition to this, the management of the organizations in the retail sector can implement different innovative teamwork projects that can help in collaborating as well as working on a real time basis for actual outcomes (Aiello and McFarland 2015). Current Practices and Trends The retail sector in Australia has continued to attain high rate growth during the period of the year 2015 as per the reports revealed by the Australian Bureau of StatisticsRetail Trade. However, the reports suggest that the Australian retail turnover has approximately amplifiedby nearly 3.7 per cent between the period September2014 as well as September 2015 (Hara et al. 2014). However, the continued admittance of new as well as non-traditional retailers compels the retailers to alter the way of operations. The operators make use of the social data as well as different omnichannels to augment the overall online experience. Identification of the Key Forces that are Driving Changes The important factors that are driving changes in the retail sector in Australia include the implementation of advanced technologies and mechanisms for carrying out the operations, international trade, trends, legal as well as political forces in addition to different macroeconomic variables (Hara et al. 2014). Reasons for Bringing about Changes and Impact of the Changes The implementation of the new technologies and integration of the new technologies with different actions of the retail industry can help in attaining digitalization. The implementation of the new technologies can increase the competitiveness and in turn can increase the overall ablity of enterprises to play a significant role in the overseas markets. References Aiello, L.M. and McFarland, D. eds., 2015.Social Informatics: SocInfo 2014 International Workshops, Barcelona, Spain, November 11, 2014, Revised Selected Papers(Vol. 8852). Springer. Hara, N., Fichman, P., Jarrahi, M.H., Rosenbaum, H., Fleischmann, K.R. and Butler, B., 2014. Social informatics and social media: Theoretical reflections.Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology,51(1), pp.1-3.

PPS Expository Essay Work Sample Rubric

PPS Expository Essay Work Sample RubricPPS Expository Essay Work Sample Rubric is a tool created by some good experienced writer who has spent so much time practicing. It allows you to practice your grammar, vocabulary and basic writing skills.The PPS Expository Essay Work Sample Rubric is a rich writing tool that allows students to develop a simple writing style in as little as a week. All it takes is one really complex sentence to take your test down. However, this is exactly what you should avoid.The PPS Expository Essay Work Sample Rubric is written in a systematic manner. It does not break down long paragraphs but rather develops the ideas one paragraph at a time. All you need to do is just write your essay first and let the software write it for you. All you have to do is follow along as it organizes and then condenses your idea into one concise paragraph.One of the reasons why the PPS Expository Essay Work Sample Rubric is so effective is because it employs a little known conc ept called schema. It is very easy to understand when you think about it. All you have to do is just write down a beginning and an ending point, and what's the difference? In other words, the schema makes everything look natural and un-forced.The PPS Expository Essay Work Sample Rubric doesn't need a text editor like most of the programs out there. It simply organizes your thoughts and makes them appear to be written by hand.If you want to make things look more structured, consider using a notepad to write down the sentences and then paste them on a word document. Your grammar and sentence structures will then appear to be grammatically correct and written by a real person.A great part of the PPS Expository Essay Work Sample Rubric is that it lets you use Microsoft Word, a standard word processing program. This allows you to write the essay without having to purchase a special word processor.The best way to improve your writing skills is to write lots of essays and practice grammar skills over again. That's the only way you will ever really master them. These writers resource has lots of good practice exercises to help you get started right away.

Why We Love Northwesterns Location and Culture

Northwestern University may be located in the midwest with harsh winters, but that doesnt take anything away from its location and student culture. See why these Northwestern Wildcats fell in love their campus and love being part of its student body: Allym896 Northwestern ‘18 Northwestern University is in an amazing location. You really get the quiet, safer environment immediately around you, as Evanston is a very nice suburb, but youre only an hour away from the great Chicago. Chicago has a great culture, rich in history and arts and activity. There are so many amazing opportunities in Chicago, and so much culture to explore, but you can always, at the end of the day, come back to Evanston and feel safe and at home. Culture at Northwestern is a little intense: everyone is ultra-busy and theres a bit of a competitive edge as to who can be the busiest and who can achieve the most. Support for students is there, but not as forward and encouraging as it could be. Altogether, its an exciting place to be, as students are always active. The arts scene is huge and there are always various shows or performances. SamAtNU Northwestern ‘17 There are so many great things about Northwestern, not the least of which is its location. Evanston is a great college town with endless restaurants, bars, stores, entertainment, etc. Having a CVS, Whole Foods, Cinemark, and a Burger King all within walking distance is really great. Chicago is just a 30 min train ride away and has endless things for you to explore. Also NU is situated right on Lake Michigan, which is pretty cool, and the campus is stunning. The culture at Northwestern is a perfect mix of work hard, play hard. Everyone is very serious about studying and most are pretty serious about partying. Whatever you are in to you can find like minded people here and the community is extremely accepting. Areckburg Northwestern ‘17 I love Northwestern. We have the perfect location being so close to Chicago. We are close enough to utilize it, without all the hectic of being in the city itself. Our culture is fantastic here too. It is the perfect mix of studying and fun. We work super hard during the week, but then we have fun on the weekends. ssgnay Northwestern ‘15 My school has a student body of very high achieving and competitive people. The student body really pushes you to be your best by being surrounded by intelligent, hard working, and creative people every single day. At the same time, Northwestern school has wonderful people who will give you a home away from home, be your best friends and give you a sense of community and family. The school is located near Chicago, so there are many professional opportunities for students during the school year and over the summer to intern with great companies that recruit specifically from northwestern. The city also has a lot of great cultural activities such as museums and shows, a great restaurant scene, lively nightlife, and a great lake that you can enjoy for the beach, boating activities, or views during the summer months. Going to school right outside the city is great, because we have a nice, clean, beautiful campus but are so close to Chicago that all the perks of the city are accessible. RachNU Northwestern ‘16 Evanston is incredible. Theres no other way to put it - its one of my favorite places on the planet. You couldnt ask for more in a college town! Theres good shopping, great dining, and complete safety. While people claim town-gown relations could be better, Ive always felt welcome in Evanston. Many businesses provide student discounts, and are eager to partner with student groups for hosting and donating to fundraisers. Of course, the proximity to Chicago is unreal - a free, 40 minute shuttle ride gets you to one of the top US cities. The city provides incredible leisure options, but also has many job opportunities. This term, I work part-time downtown while taking a couple of classes on campus, and have already been offered a job post-graduation. Are you looking to apply to Northwestern? Choosing where to go to college is an incredibly important decision. Make an informed choice by accessing our database of 60,000+ successfulcollege application files. See what they wrote about it in their application essays, what they advise about applying to college in general, and what they recommend about their own school!

Free Essays on War And Society

Keeley’s is attempting to prove that primitive warfare throughout history has been effective and occasionally more successful than civilized methods. Throughout Chapter five of â€Å"War Before Civilization†, evidence is displayed showing the different success rates of primitive warfare compared to its civilized counterpart. Two examples that offer proof to Keeley’s theory are: 1. Julius Caesar’s Roman legion was incapable of conquering England, which was defended by the undisciplined, barbarian hosts of Celts and Germans. Raids and ambush tactics demonstrated by the barbarians deferred a Roman triumph for a century. (A.D.9.) (Pg.72) 2. During the Battle of Little Big Horn, two hundred U.S. soldiers led by Colonel Custer were ambushed and defeated by one thousand and eight hundred Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. (1866) (Pg.73) Certainly, aspects of primitive warfare have had high success rates throughout war and history, yet the majority of Keely’s examples are only of individual battles. The majority of Primitive societies lack the required population, food, and artillery to win the war. Attempting to differentiate the success rate of primitive and civilized warfare is an unattainable task. While particular historical battles have proved the effectiveness of uncivilized warfare, economic and social resources should be considered in every individual case. Keely’s illustrations and examples of past war patterns disprove the myth that primitive societies will always be defeated by civilized armies in time of war. Proving primitive effectiveness is clearly Keely’s aspiration in Chapter Five. (Pg.71) Keely’s various examples from different centuries demonstrate that primitive warfare has occasionally been victorious in opposition to civilized societies.... Free Essays on War And Society Free Essays on War And Society Keeley’s is attempting to prove that primitive warfare throughout history has been effective and occasionally more successful than civilized methods. Throughout Chapter five of â€Å"War Before Civilization†, evidence is displayed showing the different success rates of primitive warfare compared to its civilized counterpart. Two examples that offer proof to Keeley’s theory are: 1. Julius Caesar’s Roman legion was incapable of conquering England, which was defended by the undisciplined, barbarian hosts of Celts and Germans. Raids and ambush tactics demonstrated by the barbarians deferred a Roman triumph for a century. (A.D.9.) (Pg.72) 2. During the Battle of Little Big Horn, two hundred U.S. soldiers led by Colonel Custer were ambushed and defeated by one thousand and eight hundred Sioux and Cheyenne warriors. (1866) (Pg.73) Certainly, aspects of primitive warfare have had high success rates throughout war and history, yet the majority of Keely’s examples are only of individual battles. The majority of Primitive societies lack the required population, food, and artillery to win the war. Attempting to differentiate the success rate of primitive and civilized warfare is an unattainable task. While particular historical battles have proved the effectiveness of uncivilized warfare, economic and social resources should be considered in every individual case. Keely’s illustrations and examples of past war patterns disprove the myth that primitive societies will always be defeated by civilized armies in time of war. Proving primitive effectiveness is clearly Keely’s aspiration in Chapter Five. (Pg.71) Keely’s various examples from different centuries demonstrate that primitive warfare has occasionally been victorious in opposition to civilized societies....

Premier profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Premier profile - Essay Example It will explore some background information about him, his contribution to federal-provincial relations and finally his political legacy. Rene Levesque was born in August 24, 1922 and later died in November 1, 1987. He started his career as a reporter and a journalist then later went into politics. In his political life he served as a minister of the government of Quebec (1960-1966) and was founder of the political party, Parti Quebecois. As the 23rd premier of Quebec between the periods (November 1976- October 1985) he became the first political leader since the confederation that attempted to negotiate the political independence of Quebec. Rene Levesque was born in Campbellton in New Brunswick and was brought up in New Carlisle in the province of Quebec by his parents Dominic LÃ ©vesque who was a lawyer by profession and Diane Levesque in the Gaspe Peninsula. He went to school at the seminaire de Gaspe and then later joined Saint-Charles Garnier College. From there he joined Universite Laval in Quebec City to pursue a degree in law. In 1943, LÃ ©vesque quitted his studies and left the university without completing his degree. From quitting university LÃ ©vesque went into journalism and joined the radio station called CHNC located in New Carlisle. While at the radio station LÃ ©vesque became a substitute announcer for CHRC and then later announced for CBV. His journalism career looked promising when he went to serve as a correspondent and a liaison officer for the USA army in Europe during the Second World War (Wall, 2014). During his stay in Europe, he was based in London where he made his reports through the print media and on the air waves. From there he went to work as a reporter for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He again worked for CBC as a war correspondent in the Korean War. While working as a journalist he got married to Louise L’Heureux with whom he had three children with. Levesque gained fame and popularity when he started

Ethics Question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics Question - Essay Example On one hand violation of the environmental laws by the company should be punished and this is within the enforcement powers of the agency. The EPA should follow required procedures and cannot go beyond the authority granted by Congress. Provided the estimated risk concerning the health, safety or environmental protection is greater than the economic impact from the plant closure, then the agency should enforce its decision. On the other hand, shutting down the plant will cause significant social damage, as the plant is the major source of employment for the town. If breach of environmental laws does not represent a major threat to the health and safety of people and has not significantly impaired local environment, then the agency can take restrictive action other than closing the plant, probably by imposing penalties or fines and undertaking future stricter control over the company's operations. The Environmental Protection Agency requires your company to self-report pollution discharges daily. It is your job to make those reports. The reports could be easily fudged if the company exceeded its designated limits. Excessive discharges would cost the company $25,000 for each day its limit is exceeded.