Corporate Governance in America

Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish naturalist, commenting on the North American carnivorous Venus Flytrap declared it was “against the order of nature as willed by God”.
I presume that he made the assumption that plants were by design far too beautiful, peaceful and innocent to cruelly devour other critters. Or maybe that plants eating insects couldn’t be so, since in Europe “it just isn’t done”.

Charles Darwin learning of the Venus Flytrap never thought to judge the plant. Characteristically, he proceeded to try understanding the nature of the flytrap down to the most intricate detail, like why it snapped down on even a single human hair but ignored a raindrop.

So, in thinking about Corporate America, I wonder if we should look at it like Linnaeus, who would be outraged at the deceitful nature of Corporations that embrace lies and half-truths as central to their business model of seeking maximum profit while providing the least in products and services, perhaps also “against the order of nature as willed by God”. Or should we look at it like Darwin, assessing its nature without judgment, instead of assuming it has any kind of personhood (in spite of recent Supreme Court rulings) or "soul".
This laissez faire business model without a doubt is the most efficient model at producing money and crushing competition and has given Corporate America great worldwide success.
But unrestrained, this business model is unconcerned with the risk to human and environmental values. In fact, the ultimate in laissez faire economics would be if employees paid their employers top dollar for their jobs, corporations left no resources in the land they exploited and in the final act only a single world corporation existed, having destroyed every other competitor and union on the planet. The earth would be left a smoldering toxic landscape except for some gated and glassed in community full of banks, CEO’s and all their trophies. At some point, they would realize that in winning they destroyed their fellow man, the earth and finally themselves.
Of course, this is happening with the complicity and support of representatives and judges at all levels of government chosen by we the people prior to our extinction.

For the past month America’s anger and rage has been growing at the behavior of
BP plc [public limited company] with their sun flowery logo, as its spokesmen attempt to minimize the blowout of its deepwater well in the Gulf of Mexico and manage it in a fashion crafted to minimize the hit to its stock capitalization and maximize quarterly profits for the benefit of CEO and board bonus payments while avoiding stockholder anger.
In short, BP is reacting exactly as any corporation organized to function under American law would react. We can all take credit for their behavior.

So why the outrage?
A corporation, or I presume a “plc”, is studiously designed to maximize short-term profits to the fullest extent of the law. I contend that the rage is directed at the wrong party. BP plc after all is soulless and heartless by design and characteristically has shown no remorse, blamed others, limited its liability and approached what may be the most horrific unnatural disaster since the Chernobyl Meltdown in what they view as a cost efficient manner. No surprise.

Personally, as a human with a soul and a heart, BP plc’s inhumane response seems diabolically penny wise and pound foolish as I consider the magnitude of the pain and suffering this ecological disaster has created and will create on into the future for unborn generations to come.

But the blame rests with America and the system of corporate governance, which we have created over several decades through congress, which has allowed it to be bought and paid for by corporate America and the courts, which recently ruled that soulless corporations have personhood and therefore civil rights guaranteed under the constitution.

Now this behemoth without a conscience, known as corporate America, is in control of unimaginable cash resources and power, and has the neck of the vast majority of American citizens under its boot heel with a choke hold on our airway. Yet the Supreme Court finds that they need still more protection from American citizens.

It would seem that Americans like it that way and therefore have nothing to complain about when our land is destroyed little by little and we are slowly being reduced to pecuniary. A few whimpers are heard as the rest cower under that boot heel.

Seems about time to clean house using the vote and then legislation which limits lawmakers to working citizens with short terms and no possibility of profit more than the average Americans and basic educational requirements to allow them to function intelligently. Sort of like the Framers described. Then working folks would be able to get the boot heel off of their throat and have a fair fight with Corporate America, which has become such a malignant bully after entirely taking control of all our elected officials as well as judges who carry water for the biggests, richest Corporations.

But at this point I am not the least surprised that BP plc has lied and obfuscated since its well blew up.
Americans should be ashamed and get a grip on congress and judges to get corporate America off our backs and force them to follow the same laws we do.
Nobody could be getting away with destruction of our Gulf Coast wetlands and still be out of jail, other than a corporation.

Uncle Steve