The United States of America: A Corporate Dictatorship

          For a People who are supposedly so attached to their freedom Americans seem to have relinquished quite an enormous amount of it. It seems that some People are freer than others in this, the home of the brave. The People I am referring to are the newest members to Peoplehood and yet their rights already trump the ordinary citizens of this land commonly known as human beings. The legalized illegitimacy of regular folks is something that offends me greatly, since I happen to be included in that group. I have yet to incorporate myself you see.

          The Supreme Court of the United States of America recently took it upon itself to recognize man made conglomerates as People. These People are not like you and me they are special because they are far more powerful than regular American Citizens. Their power comes from their wealth, their connections to industry and their investors. It is the ultimate elitist club. Only the wealthy need apply. The weird thing is that most of the people in the club don’t have very much power either, only the very few at the top do, i.e. owners and CEOs. These are the real players, they are the ones making the decisions and calling the shots. The idea of equal representation under the law or by representatives in Congress is a fantasy for most individual Americans. It simply does not exist anymore if it ever did. Most of us, that is women, children, and minorities of every stripe are still waiting for our chance at real freedom and equality.

          Corporations dictate every aspect of life in America, from the food we eat, the water we drink the air we breathe, our exposure to toxins, to stress, the energy we use and our healthcare choices. Because we seem to have a myriad of offerings from corporations this does not mean we are a free people. It means we are given a set number of choices determined by specific corporations.  For most ordinary people our work schedules, again dictated by corporations, determines the amount of free time we are allowed. This is the measured time we must use to pursue other interests outside of work. In America this time is purposely extremely limited. It is all we are given to cultivate relationships with family and friends, raise our children, and enjoy entertainment and relaxation. It’s just enough to recharge for our real purpose in life which is to serve the Corporations.

          Every time anyone complains about the circumstances of living under a Corporate Dictatorship we get the same slap-down. You must work hard to succeed, you should be grateful you have a job, the 40 hour work week was a hard fought battle we shouldn’t push our luck.

          Women even though disproportionately responsible for raising the next generation of citizen human beings; are expected to embrace the work world as "white men" would and try to accept the resulting dual lifestyle as  hard won “equality”.  No attempt has been made to offer work schedules which coincide with children’s school schedules; even though women have been in the work force for over 50 years. Most employers are guilty of paying women workers 30% less than a man at the same job.  Corporations are responsible for the economic requirement of a two income household in order to maintain a middle class standard of living. We are told this was the price we had to pay for women entering the workforce. As corporations become more powerful the economic injustices continue to grow.

           Instead of a culture of being considerate to others who may be different than us corporations use our differences to induce fear and incite violence; violence toward women and children, death from suicide, and the promotion of a perpetual war economy. We are more afraid of speaking out against corporations for fear of becoming unemployable than openly despising our neighbors.

          Corporations have taken over and Americans are currently experiencing a serious set-back in their quest for freedom, equality and justice for all. Something needs to be done to limit the power, wealth and influence of Corporations if Americans really intend to be free.

~ Stephanie J. Gilley MS