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Break them up! Before the meltdowns.
This may be buried under the avalanche of Econ/Palin posts today, but in in light of the Federal Reserve bailout package granted to AIG, I can't help but comment.
$85 billion is a staggering sum to bail out a company; there is precedent for this, of course, such as Chrysler and others. Yet the government has also, in the past, acted to break up corporations when they have become too powerful - i.e. monopolies (Standard Oil, AT&T).
One of the planks in Nader's platform is to end corporate "personhood" as determined in the US body of law. Perhaps a compromise that may eliminate some of the massive losses we saw in 2000 (Enron) and now this year:
Once a corporation has become large enough that its failure can bring down the financial system, isn't it time to break that corporation up? Similarly, once a corporation gets large enough that it is deliberately avoiding providing the services in its mission (health care companies), isn't it time to break it up? Or providing a product that flat out is addictive and responsible for long-term health problems and death?
Comments (4)
Of course, implementing this would be about as easy as combing a pissed off porcupine, but maybe worth pondering a bit.
September 16, 2008 11:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
This is off topic but did you see this?
Adak http://alaskareal.blogspot.com/2008/09/exodus-from-alaskan-village.html
September 16, 2008 11:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
I had the same thought today, AlaskaSense. Glad one of us posted it! Rec'd.
September 17, 2008 12:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the link, smalldem. Not too upset about Adak. I know people who were stationed at the Adak Naval base during the height of the cold war. It was a fairly good spot for the post, as it's close to Russia and provided one of the more accessible landing strips for P-3s. Don't need to eavesdrop on Soviet subs in that area much more, so the NAS went away.
The reality of Adak is it is very inhospitable, one of the stormiest on the Aleutian chain. The whole chain is both seismically and volcanically active. It's very, very windy, and there's little shelter, even in the bay. The coastal waters are also rough and stormy, and it isn't near the most prolific fishing waters or seal rectories.
If the Aleut natives are any indication of where the best areas to live on the Aleutian chain are, Unalaska/Dutch Harbor is the place - much better to earn out a living there, and the Aleuts have made it a home for several millenia.
Though I realize the stated reason the population is leaving is oil, the bigger picture is the island was subsidized by the military, and by itself, it's not a place to call home. Respectfully, this isn't like small midwest towns with a thriving and self-sustaining fertile farm community killed by Wal-mart and corn-based agriculture.
Don't believe me? Go sea kayaking in Unalaska sometime, and spend some quality time talking to your guide. They can tell quite a few stories about the needed social programs cut by Palin. Hitting her record is like harpooning a whale, and it ought to be enough to feed the whole democratic village for at least four years once the carcass gets dragged to shore in November.
September 17, 2008 12:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
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