Titanic Post

Thoughts on the struggle between corporate and human values

By Cedron Jones
Published November 4, 2007

“The chief business of the American people is business.”
– President Calvin Coolidge, 1925.

The sentiment expressed by Coolidge remains prominent today. During the past regular session of the Montana Legislature, an assertion by members of the big-business lobby that a certain bill was “bad for business” often was sufficient to kill it.

But wait a minute. Our economy is the world’s largest, and our society arguably is the richest in history. One might think so much wealth would permit consideration and pursuit of other values and goals, like stronger families and communities and a more healthful environment. So how is it that “bad for business” can trump “good for workers,” “good for the environment,” or “good for democracy?”

In spite of our great wealth, public opinion polls consistently show economic concerns near the top of public concerns. There are at least three explanations for this. One is the success of advertising and corporate propaganda, continually exhorting us to define ourselves, and life’s meaning, through consumerism. Another is the growing suspicion that our economy is more fragile and less sustainable than Wall Street and the economic “experts” would have us believe. And finally, there is the growing disparity between rich and poor, which raises concerns and anxiety about money regardless of what our actual level of wealth may be.

Complementing and confusing our fixation on the economy is the success of the corporate elite in equating “business” with their large, often transnational and multilayered corporations. They’ve convinced many small businesses and farms to see their interests as more aligned with large corporations than with their neighbors, communities and local ecosystems.

It also depends on corporate personhood — the notion that corporations have the same legal rights as people. These factors together restrict our ability to differentiate between independent businesses and the Wal-Mart Corporation, or between a farmer and Tyson Foods, Inc., in crafting public policy. In other words, we are forced into a “one size fits all” situation — one law to cover a family farm, Wal-Mart, and everything in between.

Addressing the nature and extent of corporation’s “rights” is central to restoring balance between the voice of corporations and the voice of the public. The efficacy even of lobbyist disclosure laws is hamstrung by the U.S. Supreme Court’s extension of 14th Amendment (and First Amendment) rights to corporations.

But it will be very difficult to reduce the legal power of corporations in our society unless we first reduce their power over each of us as individuals. That means tempering our materialism, recognizing and accepting that our responsibilities as citizens are more important than our role as consumers.

Corporations are one-dimensional creations of government — they exist to make money. With few exceptions, the corporate elite is loathe to sacrifice either profits or power to serve the best interests of our communities, our environment and our democracy. But as citizens living in a democracy, we can and should exercise our right to reign in their power through laws passed by our elected representatives. We can and should challenge their “bad for business” dismissal of proposals to protect human values that are in conflict with their bottom line.

In the same speech in which he talked about the “business of America,” Coolidge also said: “We make no concealment of the fact that we want wealth, but there are many other things that we want very much more. We want peace and honor, and that charity which is so strong an element of all civilization.”

Cedron Jones is a volunteer with Montanans for Corporate Accountability, a project of The Policy Institute, and is a ReclaimDemocracy.org member.