Corporatism
is government run by and for corporations, in the belief that this is
the most "efficient" model of national management. It is the model that
has been used by ultra-conservative totalitarian regimes in Spain,
Portugal, Argentina and Italy in the past century. It is also the
models by which corporations themselves run. It is the antithesis of
democracy.
Most 'free' trade legislation and globalization regulation is
corporatist in nature. It subordinates national law -- including
employment laws designed to protect domestic workers, and environmental
laws -- to the "efficiency" of capitalism, by rendering such laws null
and void if they exceed the lowest-common-denominator standards of any
of the treaty countries.
Many countries restrict the ability of corporations to influence
government by limiting or prohibiting corporations from donating to
campaigns. This not only reduces the temptation to slide into
corporatism, but also reduces the likelihood of favouritism, and
corporate subsidies being awarded as kick-backs.
We can't really blame corporations for being corporatists, or for
taking advantage of corrupt and ultra-conservative governments to
advance the corporatist cause. Their charters drive them to maximize
profit and minimize cost, without regard for the social or
environmental impact of their actions. That is the fault of lawyers who
have browbeaten governments to give corporations many more rights
(including the rights of 'persons') and much more power than those who
first developed the concept of corporations ever envisioned.
In fact, the founders of most democratic countries, and their brightest
leaders since then, have repeatedly warned that, because corporations
are inherently (and deliberately) undemocratic, citizens and
governments must exercise continuing vigilance to prevent corporations
from usurping the power and authority of the people and democratic
governments and institutions. During the late 19th century, corporatism
reached unprecedented and dangerous levels, resulting in misery and
often death for workers, until the rise of unions restored the balance
of power. These corporatists subsequently became known as the Corporate
Robber Barons. We have forgotten this terrible period in our
history, and it is beginning to repeat itself.
Now that corporatists have a willing ally in George Bush (ironic, since
Bush is a political unilateralist), activity by corporatists is again
on the rise. Bush's inner circle wants to starve government until it
can be "drowned
in a bathtub", creating a perfect environment for corporatists to
move into the power vacuum.
There is a great deal of evidence that this is occurring today. In
addition to 'free' trade agreements, massive privatization of
government institutions, and the sell-off of public lands and property
at huge discounts to corporatist friends -- all occurring in
third-world countries whose governments are essentially owned by
corporatists, and in George Bush's America -- there are other, more
insidious signs, such as:
Burying and distortion of reports by public institutions
when they run counter to corporatist interests. Many of us have
reported on Bush's burying
of scientific reports, including those on the causes of global
warming. Most recently the US Department of Agriculture has
complained that Bush's inner circle is ignoring their warnings
about food safety in deference to corporatist pressure by factory farm
and food processing conglomerates.
Internationally, the most environmentally destructive
mining, oil & gas, and forestry companies are pleading poverty to
shrug off responsibility for cleaning up the damages from their
operations in the third world. The massive lead poisoning
of children in Peru by American miner Doe Run is a typical example.
When the FTAA 'free' trade agreement is passed, it will allow similar
poisoning to occur throughout the Americas, since under FTAA,
environmental laws stricter than Peru's (i.e. all environmental laws) will be
null and void since they would be deemed to create an "unequal playing
field" for corporations. This has already happened with NAFTA.
Corporations now wield enough power to influence and even
dictate countries' foreign policy, which is a critical step towards
corporatism. Even back in 1973, the previous corporatist-friendly
administration of Richard Nixon was prepared
to invade Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi to steal their old
fields in response to the OPEC oil embargo in the US, to try to force
Israel to withdraw from occupied Arab territories -- according to
documents recently declassified by the UK. And there's not much doubt
corporate interests were as responsible as extremist ideology and
personal hatred for the US invasion of Iraq.
The only things separating us from global corporatism today is the
democratic ballot box and the vigilance of public interest groups and
non-mainstream media. The mainstream media, owned and controlled by big
corporations, already self-censor news that is anti-corporatist. The
collapse or privatization of public education would lead to the
corruption of what our children learn -- to a corporatist-friendly
message. The continuing dumbing-down of the electorate, and its
disillusionment due to gerrymandering and other anti-democratic
political abuses, plays right into the hands of corporatists.
We are at a crossroads for democracy, and we are so distracted by other
issues that we can't see it. If Bush wins re-election, their second
term slogan might well be "we're lovin' it".
MADE IN CANADA
trust your
instincts 
Corporatism
is government run by and for corporations, in the belief that this is
the most "efficient" model of national management. It is the model that
has been used by ultra-conservative totalitarian regimes in Spain,
Portugal, Argentina and Italy in the past century. It is also the
models by which corporations themselves run. It is the antithesis of
democracy.
