cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/65680179

Seriously. Not dystopian science fiction or a new novel by an AI version of George Orwell. Actual corporations — what America’s first Supreme Court Justice, John Marshall, in 1819 called “an artificial being, invisible, intangible, and existing only in contemplation of law” — are today voting in elections for everything from the mayor and town council to referendums on corporate taxes and limits on corporate behavior.

What could possibly go wrong?

There are, after all, more corporations than people in Delaware. They can now decide who’s going to run the government, what the laws are, and — through their votes to elect humans who’ll take corporate money to do what corporations want (something else that corrupt Republicans on the Supreme Court legalized) — even what regulations companies must follow and what limits there are on their behavior.

  • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    2 days ago

    i don’t get what you are getting at. i don’t think the government would let us easily do that, and i doubt companies would give workers a voice in that vote if they could help it at all.

    this kind of thing looks like lobbying for power by corporations, and the state will enforce it that way.

    • DancingBear@midwest.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      If we own a home and sell our home to our LLC can we get two votes instead of one. We still own the LLC so our LLC gets a vote and so do you and I.

      I don’t live in Delaware, but if our LLC does can my LLC own the home and vote here

      • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        2 days ago

        i don’t think it matters, they wouldn’t let people do that if it became a problem. even then, homeownership is a high bar that would put more votes into conservatives anyway, at least over here.

          • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            1 day ago

            me neither, that’s not quite what i was getting at.

            their interests align with right-wing ideas though.

            • DancingBear@midwest.social
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              edit-2
              2 days ago

              Sometimes, until you wake them up

              Neoliberalism is in no one’s best interest. Everything we think we know about capitalism is incorrect. At least 101

              Well, correction, we need to look at actual data. Not feelings and generalities

              Neoliberalism is trash. 100% according to the data over the last however many years since it’s been around

              • ☂️-@lemmy.ml
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                3
                ·
                2 days ago

                sure it’s trash, but it did wonders to line their pockets.

                the reason it lasted is because it worked exactly as intended, and when it ceases to work they will change it. explains all the fascism.

                we generally mistake bad faith for lack of intelligence.