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>The fact that companies have all the right and none of the duty of a normal person in front of the law with the all power money can buy Can you unpack that fo

>The fact that companies have all the right and none of the duty of a normal person in front of the law with the all power money can buy Can you unpack that for me? I own a corporation and enjoy nothing of what you mention. I fear I'm missing out on something.

dikaiosune 11y ago
See [1] for an overview of corporate personhood. They don't get all of the protections and rights of a human being, but they do get a surprising number of them (like free speech) even though they never die, have children, or serve in the military. They also can't be jailed, and not all laws that apply to a natural person apply to a corporation. I'm sure that GP has some other examples of "none of the duty of a normal person" in mind, but that's what I know of off the top of my head. Regarding their power, I think that corresponds to corporations' ability to amass wealth and influence (often) faster than an individual. Of course there is a spectrum -- national defense contractors with billions of dollars in the bank can have a surprising amount of say in the way things are run, but an incorporated small business might have a hard time getting a local zoning issue addressed. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood
touristtam 11y ago
Ok, the comment was a bit extreme and the reality is surely a bit more like a multiple of shade of gray. But what the other comment mention is on the right track as members of a corporation can easily rip the benefice produced by it, but can as easily distance themselves from it, should it find itself in financial or legal troubles. Of course one can argue that owners and decision makers from that particular entity can be sued individually. And that's fine as well. And before anyone mention, that investor should have some kind of protection, may I kindly remind you that there should be a balance: the Greek bailout (and the other big bailout from the last few years) is anything but a way from private entities to off load onto the public some mistakes they have made. I don't know of a single instance of a family that has had their debt wipe out during the same period. I guess there is a critical size to acquire for any social actor to be able to leverage the government and the law makers into protecting them from catastrophic outcome.

dikaiosune 11y ago

See [1] for an overview of corporate personhood. They don't get all of the protections and rights of a human being, but they do get a surprising number of them (like free speech) even though they never die, have children, or serve in the military. They also can't be jailed, and not all laws that apply to a natural person apply to a corporation. I'm sure that GP has some other examples of "none of the duty of a normal person" in mind, but that's what I know of off the top of my head. Regarding their power, I think that corresponds to corporations' ability to amass wealth and influence (often) faster than an individual. Of course there is a spectrum -- national defense contractors with billions of dollars in the bank can have a surprising amount of say in the way things are run, but an incorporated small business might have a hard time getting a local zoning issue addressed. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_personhood

touristtam 11y ago

Ok, the comment was a bit extreme and the reality is surely a bit more like a multiple of shade of gray. But what the other comment mention is on the right track as members of a corporation can easily rip the benefice produced by it, but can as easily distance themselves from it, should it find itself in financial or legal troubles. Of course one can argue that owners and decision makers from that particular entity can be sued individually. And that's fine as well. And before anyone mention, that investor should have some kind of protection, may I kindly remind you that there should be a balance: the Greek bailout (and the other big bailout from the last few years) is anything but a way from private entities to off load onto the public some mistakes they have made. I don't know of a single instance of a family that has had their debt wipe out during the same period. I guess there is a critical size to acquire for any social actor to be able to leverage the government and the law makers into protecting them from catastrophic outcome.