12 December 2005

The 14 Worst Corporate Evildoers

A Global Exchange Report
Corporations carry out some of the most horrific human rights abuses of modern times, but it is increasingly difficult to hold them to account. Economic globalization and the rise of transnational corporate power have created a favorable climate for corporate human rights abusers, which are governed principally by the codes of supply and demand and show genuine loyalty only to their stockholders.

Several of the companies below are being sued under the Alien Tort Claims Act, a law that allows citizens of any nationality to sue in US federal courts for violations of international rights or treaties. When corporations act like criminals, we have the right and the power to stop them, holding leaders and multinational corporations alike to the accords they have signed. Around the world--in Venezuela, Argentina, India, and right here in the United States--citizens are stepping up to create democracy and hold corporations accountable to international law.
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6 comments:

  1. Intriguing...
    In my prior life I was a retail manager for 14 years...Never once did anyone ask to pay more for thier merchandise so that the company could pay health insurance to the employees...Never once did the company ask if they could pay more for the merchandise so that the suppliers (Maylasia, China, Mexico) could pay thier employees a living wage...Our problem is that we (man) are to myopic to see that this is just the tip of the iceberg. The problem is not the corporations, companies or governments...We're the problem. Few of us are willing to make the sacrifices that are necessary to combat these truely global issues.
    CT

    as an aside I wrote this on my $1000 laptop with parts made in china and maylasia...so...none of us are immune

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  2. No one asked if they could pay more so that they could pad the upper executive echelon of the company could afford to buy private yachts and have servants to cater to their every whim and whimper.

    The problem here is the skimming done by ownership and high executives.

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  3. Where do we draw the line in terms of what is acceptable in terms of a salary? $1 Million, $5 Million? There are individuals making upwards of $30 million / year!!! It's absurd.

    Society would benefit from a salary cap. All those employees could get their health benes and pensions, if the upper management and ownerships pay rates were scaled appropriately!

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  4. I hear yah...But...
    We must be able to remove the log from our own eye before we pull anything from anyone elses. Change starts at home. One of the biggest American sins is not greed but envy. We live in a 2 income society not because of necessity but to maintain a standard of living. Really..does anyone want to spend $300 on a DVD player or $15 for a fast food meal? A few of us may...but not many... What irks me about progressives is that they have a tendancy (though not catagorically) to want to penalize people who work hard and are successful. You've worked all your life to make sure your family is taken care of after you die...now give us your money because you have too much for "our" liking...What's that about? Class Envy? The "work for the common good" is too idealistic in this world. Too much corruption for unregenerated hearts and minds..

    CT

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  5. There is a difference between making $48k, $60k, or even $200k or $500k a year and supporting your family, and making between $1 and several multimillion $ / year. When is enough enough?

    Personally, for me, it's not envy, but disgust.

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  6. but is making too much money illegal?...Immoral?...who decides how much is too much? The government? What about people like Oprah, Bill Gates and Babs? They not only make a ton of money but also give a ton away? Why are you discusted with people whom you know little about making money? What is money but a means of exchange? I councel people with money problems frequently. These folks have the same type of discust with "the haves". What I have never found is that thier money problems would go away by giving them more money. The problem is that they assign some sort of magic to cash and give it a high place of importance in thier lives. I used to think that same sort of thing. One day I was released from that burden and was able to take a 65% pay cut to begin my work in the ministry. Believe me...the root of most of our problems is us...I see it every day first hand...

    CT

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