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Originally posted by SignyM:
Sarge- Hmmm...So, you don't like "government" controlling you, but you accept it if a corporation does. Interesting.

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Originally posted by SignyM:
Actually, I see differences, but they are in favor of the government. We have- at least in theory- direct control of the government by our vote. Where the government fails to do our will, it can almost invariably be laid to corruption by moneyed interests (eg corporations) and a combination of laziness and cupidity on the part of the population. We are protected from invasion of privacy, and so forth- but only if it is done by the GOVERNMENT. There are no such laws protecting us from corporations.
Corporations already control you. They control what we see on TV, whether we have jobs- and at what wages, the direction of research, our social structure (where we are pitted against each other), which environmental costs are borne by what groups, and so forth. There is no equivalently-sized countervailing economic force (no international unions, consumer groups, fair-trade groups, research institutions etc) protecting the interests of the individual, and so we are left to defend/ adjust ourselves as individuals in a mileu set by organizations that have a power, lifespan, and motivations far beyond us.

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Even with their current unbalanced influence on society, corporations can't put you in jail. And, without government involvment, they can't force you to do business with them.

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Originally posted by SignyM:
Hardware- Jumping ahead of Rue, I am unaware of any study showing that seatbelts save lives but increase costs. If you have such a study, I would appreciate the info.

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Originally posted by SignyM:
You are forced to do business with them all the time- you can't avoid it. And as far as jail is concerned- is that worse than not being able to find a legitimate job and whoring yourself?

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Originally posted by SergeantX:


But you aren't ever forced to do business with them. No one ever says, "Do what I say or I will shoot you.". That is the ultimate result of making something a law.

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Originally posted by SergeantX:



And as far as jail being no worse than being out of work - I'm not sure how you can equate them. Ever been in jail?

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Originally posted by SergeantX:


I do agree with you that corporations have extended their power far beyond justification and that is a battle that perhaps we'd find ourselves on the same side of. But I just don't think it's a matter of choosing between corportations-as-master or government-as-master. Why not look for something better?

SergeantX

"Dream a little dream or you can live a little dream. I'd rather live it, cause dreamers always chase but never get it." Aesop Rock

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But you aren't ever forced to do business with them.

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"Do what I say or I will shoot you.". That is the ultimate result of making something a law.

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But I just don't think it's a matter of choosing between corportations-as-master or government-as-master. Why not look for something better?

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Originally posted by SignyM: However, you will never achieve anything better if you think we can take on corporations as individuals.

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Originally posted by Jasonzzz:
If we get rid of that law tomorrow, how exactly will you go about assessing each situation to make sure that you would be making the correct one?

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On the legal side, you actually do still have a choice in obeying the law or not. You'll just have to face a civil penalty rather than a physical one.

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