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Blog

Corporations are People? -- If so, Democracy is Doomed

1/22/2010

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Economics and Ending War
​
By Judith Hand
Shift Our Economies – it’s an AFWW cornerstone.  The need to shift deals not only with shifting spending on weapons to spending on ending war projects, but shifting spending to other related critical challenges, like restoring and preserving environmental resources. We desperately need money also to deal with nuclear weapon proliferation and with the now unavoidable impacts of global climate change. 
We need money for lots of extremely important things having to do with survival and ending war: ending extreme poverty, providing universal education and health care, spreading and protecting liberal democracy around the globe. And the U.S. Supreme Court has just dealt all of these causes, and the need to preserve true and liberal democracy in the U.S. a terrible blow. Vast resources will now be spent to win elections.  The amount spent now is embarrassing. The amount that will be spent is tragic. It is also, given our other pressing needs, immoral. 

​In 1887 the U.S. Supreme Court made its first ruling that corporations are people…they should have the same rights as individuals. The was the beginning of a classic “slippery slope” to yesterday’s decision. 
​
It’s always sad to blog after the fact. Actually, AFWW rarely does it. But yesterday's Supreme Court Decision, by five men, that says that, yes indeed, corporations are people, and they should be allowed to spend however much money on elections that they want, is the worst decision by that court in decades if you care about democracy. It is the fulfillment of the wet dreams of “money.” Love of money, greed, and instant financial interests…not our best humans traits and ones that always need to be reined in…have won the day. 
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For those interested in the history of the development of corporations and their ascendency in governing, AFWW recommends the books and work of the economist, David Korten and the social historian, Riane Eisler. You can check out David Korten's website for a plethora of thoughts on developing a new economy. You can also refer to his books. For example, ​When Corporations Ruled the World is excellent on the history of the development of corporations:


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The Great Turning expands on the problem and begins to suggest solutions.

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Agenda for a New Economy does exactly what the title suggests.

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Riane Eisler’s latest book is The Real Wealth of Nations, and it addresses the need for partnership and a caring economics that is a broader view than even Korten’s.

We could change direction.  Korten, Eisler, and other men and women of vision suggest how we could shift our economies in the service of ending war, and absolutely in the service of building a better future for the generations to come. The big question is whether enough of us share the vision and the will to accomplish what needs to be done to make those visions reality.  

​What is certainly true is that the U.S. Supreme Court’s five men have done us, and the future, a great disservice.
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    ​About the Author

    Dr. Judith L. Hand. Dr. Hand earned her Ph.D. in biology from UCLA. Her studies included animal behavior and primatology. After completing a Smithsonian Post-doctoral Fellowship at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., she returned to UCLA as a research associate and lecturer. Her undergraduate major was in cultural anthropology. She worked as a technician in neurophysiology laboratories at UCLA and the Max Planck Institute, in Munich, Germany. As a student of animal communication, she is the author of several books and scientific papers on the subject of social conflict resolution.

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​And we will achieve it. 
AFWW is continually developed and maintained by Writer and Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Judith Hand.
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  • Home
  • Overview
    • Study Guide
    • The Single Most Important Idea
    • Mission Statement
    • War Is Not Inevitable keynote speech
    • Capstone Essay: "To Abolish War"
    • An Action Plan
    • The Nine Cornerstones
    • How Far We Have Already Come
    • The Secret Ingredient
    • The Vision Thing
    • How Long It Will Take
    • What You Can Do
    • The AFWW Logo Explained
    • Examples of War Expenses
    • Biological Differences
    • What Makes People Happy
  • Nine Cornerstones
    • Summary of the Nine Cornerstones
    • Embrace The Goal
    • Empower Women
    • Enlist Young Men
    • Ensure Essential Resources
    • Foster Connectedness
    • Promote Nonviolent Conflict Resolution
    • Provide Security and Order
    • Shift Our Economies
    • Spread Liberal Democracy
  • Videos
  • Books
    • A Future Without War: 2nd Edition
    • Shift: The Beginning of War, the Ending of War
    • War and Sex and Human Destiny
    • Women, Power, and the Biology of Peace
  • Blog
    • List of Blog Posts
  • More
    • Archived Blog
    • Map of Non-warring Cultures
    • Newsletters >
      • #44 Ending War Is Achievable
      • #43 A Global Peace System
      • #42 Women Rising!!
      • #41 Good News on Peace vs. Tragedy in Paris
      • #40 About AFWW and Shift
      • #39 Hague Conference and "Shift"
      • #38 Shift-Chapters 1-4
      • #37 Women and Ending War
      • #36 Four Notable Events
      • #35 Peace Systems and Opting out of War
      • #34 New book Shift on Kindle
      • #33 War Is Over - If You Want It
      • #32 Three Books and a TEDx Video
      • #31 An Ending-War Plan, Drones, Belfast
      • #30 Two Calls for Action
      • #29 Dismantling the War Machine
      • #28 Biology and Ending War
      • #27 Drone Warfare
      • #26 Ending War IS Possible
      • #25 Warmongers, Women, People & Change
      • #23 Special Edition - The Mutilation of Wonder Woman
      • #22 Special Edition: Film Launch
      • #21 Shaping our Destiny - Paradigm Shift
      • #20 Women on the Frontlines
      • #19 Media Favorites: Peace Movements Worldwide
      • #18 Capstone Essay
      • #17 AFWW, Sarah Palin, Origin of War, Empathy
      • #16 Women and Girls
      • #15 Abolishing Nuclear Weapons
      • #14 - Twitter, Ardi and more!
      • #13 Economics, Ending War, Building Lasting Peace
      • #12 - Nuclear Disarmament
      • #11 - Nonviolence: Powerful and Necessary
      • #10 - Economics and Social Transformation
      • #9 - Proof That Humans Can Live Without War
      • #8 - Changing History: The Next Big Shift
      • #7 Global Women Leaders Flex Security Muscles
      • #6 Economic Change
      • #5 Report: World Peace Conference
      • #4 AFWW Goes to a World Peace Conference
      • #3 Democracy in Action
      • #2 Seasons Greetings!
      • #1 A Newsletter for AFWW
  • About
    • About the Author
    • Movie Reviews >
      • Pray the Devil Back to Hell
      • A Force More Powerful
      • Iron Jawed Angels
      • Gandhi
      • Amazing Grace
      • Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan
    • Book Reviews >
      • Fry - Beyond War
      • Hrdy - Mothers and Others
      • Myers - Why Women Should Rule
      • Zak - The Moral Molecule
    • Speeches and Workshops
  • Related Projects
    • General & Miscellaneous
    • Empower Women
    • Enlist Young Men
    • Ensure Essential Resources
    • Foster Connectedness​
    • Promote Nonviolent Conflict Resolution
    • Provide Security and Order
    • Shift Our Economies
    • Spread Liberal Democracy
  • Contact