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Some statistical comments:<br>
<br>
<blockquote>
<div class="ask_lbl_md"> "<b>Is USA a Democracy or a Plutocracy? </b></div>
<p> </p>
<div class="image-float-right">Plutocracy defines a society or a
system ruled and dominated by the small minority of the
wealthiest citizens. Is this what we have in USA, or Democracy?<br>
<br>
</div>
For reference check out the charts attached here which are by
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
using the World Top <br>
Incomes Database, which charts shows how income gains between 1975
and 2007 were divvied up in 18 OECD countries for which the
researchers had data. Nowhere did the rich benefit as much as in
USA.<br>
<br>
As you can see, in some countries like Denmark the vast majority
of income gains went to the bottom 90<br>
percent -- SOCIALISTS! -- while nearly half of U.S. income gains
went to the richest one percent..."<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.anoox.com/ask_answer/qanda.php?q_id=134114&trk=mem_question">https://www.anoox.com/ask_answer/qanda.php?q_id=134114&trk=mem_question</a><br>
<br>
</blockquote>
Norbert Klein<br>
Cambodia<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 7/6/2014 11:26 PM, parminder wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote cite="mid:53B978BE.1090706@itforchange.net" type="cite">
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<font face="Verdana"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
class="moz-txt-link-freetext"
href="http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/06/we-shouldnt-expect-facebook-to-behave-ethically?CMP=fb_gu">http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jul/06/we-shouldnt-expect-facebook-to-behave-ethically?CMP=fb_gu</a><br>
<br>
"</font>Besides, the idea that corporations might behave
ethically is as absurd as the proposition that cats should respect
the rights of small mammals. Cats do what cats do: kill other
creatures. Corporations do what corporations do: maximise revenues
and shareholder value and stay within the law. Facebook may be on
the extreme end of corporate sociopathy, but really it's just the
exception that proves the rule."<br>
<br>
(quote ends)<br>
<br>
Well, if I had said these sentences, there would have been an
immediate multistakeholder (MS) condemnation, for not conforming
to the multi-stakeholder spirit!<br>
<br>
It is these corporations that are to sought to be given special
political rights by the 'equal footing' MS brigade, to be on the
policy making table and making political decisions, for all of us.
... The US public, and its civil society organisations, are still
reeling under the impact of the US court ruling to allow unlimited
corporate contribution to campaign financing, on the basis of a
novel political construction that corporates have the right to
freedom of expression, which cannot be diluted under the first
amendment. This judgement, many in the US and abroad feel, is
having the impact of spinning US politics so much away from its
democratic foundation that soon it may be difficult to consider US
as a really working democracy. <br>
<br>
But that 'novel political construction' of allowing corporates to
have human rights was nothing. The 'equal footing' MSists go much
much further; they want corporates to have voting rights and
decision making powers for public policy matters. The rest of
world has simply not waken up to this demon, which is making slow
but serious progress, although somewhat clandestinely, against the
values and institutions of democracy. <br>
<br>
parminder</blockquote>
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