Government is for the People
Government is for the people; a political construction specifically suited for dealing with the weaknesses of being human. This is shown by some of the fundamental rights given to human beings in charters and laws.
[16:03] <e-kyle> people have weaknesses...
[16:03] <e-kyle> people have fear....
[16:03] <e-kyle> people protect each other....
[16:03] <e-kyle> people make rules....
[16:03] <e-kyle> people make government...
[16:03] <jpr> how is a government supposed to make up for weaknesses of being human when the government is human?
[16:04] <e-kyle> The stength of people are in thier ability to think, and thier ability to be compassionate
[16:04] <e-kyle> government makes up for human weaknesses, not counter balances completely
[16:07] <jpr> what is a human weakness governments are supposed to make up for?
[16:07] <e-kyle> the fact we can be killed
[16:07] <e-kyle> hurt
[16:07] <e-kyle> taken advantage of
[16:08] <e-kyle> note there are laws to prevent each
[16:08] <e-kyle> we have to eat, breath, drink clean water
[16:08] <e-kyle> we get sick
[16:09] <jpr> ok, you are using it in a different way than i expected
[16:09] <jpr> i equate human weakness with human failings
[16:09] <jpr> emotional things
[16:09] <jpr> like greed
Problem
Singly held, or family held, corporations allow the morals of the owner to become the morals of the company. In contrast, the publicly held corporation has to act under constant threat of minor shareholders suing the company for unprofitable (aka. humane) decisions. Publicly held corporations are incapable of selfless acts, and that makes them the epitome of greed.
Corporations have no place in a political system. They should not be represented by government nor participate in government. Corporations are strictly legal constructions, with supernatural abilities to rearrange thier parts, transport over vast distances in milliseconds, and disappear from existence when the situation is unsuitable. Humans can not do this, and require protections from thier governments.
Solution
- The major shareholder has ultimate control of the company: We must remove the threat of litigation so that the major shareholder is free to be humane in his business decisions. The advantages of this system are that a single human in charge of a company is easier to research (to see if your goals are the same as his) and he can be held accountable for the actions of his company (up to corporate liability limits). If minor shareholders do not like how the company is run, then they should not invest.
- Corporations should be Taxed Less: Since government is for the people, the people should be the ones paying to support their government. This does not mean that corporations should pay nothing, but they should be paying a significantly reduced rate; enough to recover the costs of the resources they use. Whether this lesser tax exists as user fees for the use of police and legal services, or just a single low rate on corporate earnings, is yet to be determined.
- No Corporate Donations to Political Parties: The influence bought by corporate donations is too much for most politicians to ignore. We must reduce the corporate influence by not allowing corporate donations to political parties. This still allows human shareholders to support their favorite political party, with their own money of course.