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

 

How Obama Should Have Responded at Debate on Economics

Proposed Presidential Response:

With regard to economic theory:
        The idea of “Perfect Competition” is something that does not work in the real world. It is a “theory” which requires something known as the invisible hand of the market to equal out the playing field. This to me is a type of Social Darwinism which does not include a compassionate view of fellow human beings. At our level of technological and scientific advancement I believe that human beings are capable of creating a more just and modern society through combined efforts to allow everyone a decent standard of living. My opponent tries to use scare tactics by labeling this with words from the past; words that corporations have spent millions of promotional dollars to “tag” as negative.  You know what those words are; I do not have to repeat them here. I do know that my goals do not include pitting one group of people against the other. My ideas do not include creating a pool of low wage workers for corporations to exploit. In my opinion~ that is exactly what Mr. Romney and his corporate supporters are trying to create. I want all Americans to stand with me against these social planning strategies that my opponents economic policies are devised to implement.

        I believe in the greatness of the United States because I believe in the unique potential of each American. My policies reflect this belief. The time is upon us to renew America.  By investing in our people through education and access to quality healthcare for all, in every stage of life. By investing in our infrastructure through mobilizing and modernizing our resources of energy, transportation and communication technologies. Making these changes will help to create a more powerful and positive environment which encourages each human person to reach their brightest potential. It is my opinion and my earnest belief that this will lead to greater health, wealth and happiness for every citizen.

 

Predictable Romney Reply:  I don’t know what you are talking about Mr. President...

 

Proposed Presidential (quick) Rebuttal:

        Here you go again trying to pull a fast one over on the American people. That is what I do not like or respect about you Mr. Romney. And that is why I must continue with my administration for another 4 years.

 

Proposed Presidential Closing Remarks:

          I am asking the people of America to vote for me and to also vote out the Republicans in Congress and the State Administrations who have caused so much economic harm to our country during my first term in office with their austerity agenda and political stonewalling. Together we can make the changes needed to create a better society for all Americans. How do we do this? We must make sure Republicans are not re-elected to Congress.

            Why is this important? I will tell you. During my first term I have witnessed, and maybe so have you if you have been paying attention, something I did not want to believe, but it happened. It is shameful how Republicans have worked together to harm the American people and the American economy, the world economy for that matter. Because what we do here in the United States does have ramifications throughout the world. Republican stonewalling on many of my proposals especially the jobs bill has caused poverty to metastasize. The policies I have proposed are evidence that despite their worst efforts to hinder an economic recovery, I have managed to keep economic conditions in our country from getting worse and we have seen some improvements. I am confident my policies are moving America Forward where as Republican policies promise to move us backward to darker days for everyone. For everyone except people like my opponent Mr. Romney who make-up a tiny minority now commonly referred to as the 1%.

            I say this because I know for a fact most of you do not live the lifestyle my opponent was fortunate enough to inherit for himself. I do not agree with the way he has been able to avoid paying his fair share of taxes especially when I see all of you struggling. I do not agree with Mr. Romney and others in the Republican Party who shame people for not being able to find a job or for accepting help from food stamps. I know how hard it is to live in a society that has high economic inequality. For most people it can mean a life filled with too much difficulty and uncertainty. The policies put forth by Republicans and supported and promoted by Mr. Romney will only serve to widen the income gap between the haves and the have-nots.  I am asking you to stand with me and I will continue to do all I can so that America becomes a place of opportunity again, for everyone ~ and not just for people like Mr. Romney.

Written By Stephanie J. Gilley

 

American People Must Take Responsibility

          It is time for the American People to take responsibility for allowing the 1% to cause so much pain and suffering in the world. As a population we have never been so diverse and so educated. As a population we have never had as much experience and knowledge about how our actions or inaction reverberates throughout the world. Young people, middle agers and retirees are all experiencing the discontent a lopsided economic system can conjure up. We are at the precise moment in space and time to recognize the good the bad and the ugly of which our Nation has become.

          We were convinced by some sly devils to let go of the wheel and trust supply side economics. We were fed the line about how Capitalism would be fair for all. A peaceful people have become the greatest perpetrators of "War For Profit" of any country in modern times.  If this is who we want to be then don’t change a thing. But for some reason I highly doubt that this is the aspiration of greatness any person imagines when feeling proud to be an American. War is a terrible thing even when the profiteers of it convince you that our soldiers are the ones helping to protect women and children~ Only to find out later that terror death and trauma was the reality for most. The psychological welfare of our fighting men and women is not a priority and they suffer greatly, returning home to little opportunity. This we must know by now has been the story for most returning soldiers throughout human history, i. e. broken bodies, broken minds and broken dreams.  

          So this is not a win ~ win situation save for the 1% who have convinced people of the need for war.  Private military contracting companies operate as corporations with the United States Government as their only client. This allows them to make huge profits directly from taxpayer funds.  Creating middle man corporations to do the work federal employees use to do is inefficient and wasteful of tax dollars.

          Americans need to do some serious self evaluation and determine what it is we want to represent to the world. Right now the world knows we are a warring people and that we chose to profit from the wars we perpetrate around the globe. The fact that only 1% of our population really sees the profits could help spur the American people to initiate this much needed self evaluation. We have the power to take things in a new and better direction. Doing so could help move humanity forward and away from our violent past.

~ Stephanie J. Gilley