I heard it said earlier today “Jobs are an unintended consequence of the quest for profit.If we stop demonizing the quest for profit, the inevitable consequence would be a return of jobs.” That got me to thinking on the points below:
The quest for profit is the quest for power. And as we all know, absolute power corrupts absolutely. How does the unbridled quest for profit hurt us all?
1. The quest for profits forced the music and movie industries to bribe congress to enact the DMCA and to push them to enact the SOPA / ACTA bills in order to censor the internet
2. The quest for profits is what forces companies like Dow chemical to cut corners by dumping toxic waste in the Love Canal.
3. The quest for profits is what keeps lobbyists plying there trade in the halls of congress so that, for $500 and up, these people get the ears of people who should be listening to us instead.
4 The quest for profits is why modern unions find themselves battered, bruised, and in Wisconsin outlawed. Unions arose over 100 years ago to battle against greedy corporations and there practice of paying low wages and no health benefits. Sound familiar?
5 The quest for profit is what drives mining companies to strip the tops of mountains in West Virginia in search of coal and other minerals.
6. The quest for profits is what keeps the bulk of companies like Apple’s money offshore so they don’t have to pay tax on it.
7. The quest for profits is why Foxconn uses child labor and is such a terrible place to work, the workers there riot in response to the horrible working conditions there.
Until abuses like these can be prevented consistently, we can never be free of modern corporations and there ability to hurt us all. Please remember this on Election Day.