What's an 'American' corporation?

There are those who cheer any international aggression on the grounds that “we” will get the booty. I remember back when the Iraq misadventure was just a twinkle in W’s eye – a radio caller said that the war was great as long as he paid 50 cents a gallon less for gas. (It was $1.50 locally at the time.)

Ethical questions aside, “we” didn’t get the oil. After benefiting from the removal of Iraqi oil from the market, the lower supplies driving up oil prices, the multinational oil companies are presently in the process of locking down the Iraqi oil rights. In the interim, the oil companies have made out like bandits at our expense, repeatedly posting record-breaking profits. Other recipients of the war are the defense industry, suppliers of mercenaries (Blackwater, for example) and war contractors such as Haliburton, which is moving their headquarters to Dubai.

It’s long been believed that “what’s good for General Motors is good for the country.” This was once a defensible position in that General Motors employed a large American workforce at a decent wage, making it possible for workers to buy homes, GM cars, medical care and college educations for their children and retire comfortably. But it’s time to check again.

Do “our” (American) corporations contribute to the national wealth? If they pay taxes at all, they pay at a lower tax rate than do individuals who make even a modest living. Many incorporate offshore to avoid taxes. They don’t pay adequate royalties (if they pay any at all) for the irreplaceable natural resources they harvest within our borders. Increasingly, they hire as few Americans as possible: if a job can be outsourced, it is.

Worst of all, our military is used to enforce their interests abroad. Although they enjoy appalling political influence, these corporations are multinational, not American. Their success is often at our expense, not to our benefit.

Anna Monday