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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Students Allied For the Reform of Corporations vs Enron |
Current rating: 0 |
by Michael Walcher
(No verified email address) |
25 Mar 2002
Modified: 09:43:38 PM |
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Students Allied For the Reform of Corporations |
this is a National Organization of Students that I would like to develop a chapter of for UIUC, check out STARC, it rocks!
STARC
Enron and the Erosion of Democracy:
April 6th Day of Action and Education*
This is it. Your chance to do what you always say you want to do -- RECRUIT new members and EXPAND your group.
You know that corporations have too much power, they use their power to put profit before the needs of people, communities, and the environment. That's why we challenge corporate greed on campus, in our communities, and in our society.
Unfortunately, most people think capitalism is working just fine. Enron is the wake up call to recruit and educate we've been looking for. Building the movement takes all of us, join us, shake up your campus --educate on corporate greed!
If we want to see a MASS MOVEMENT for GLOBAL JUSTICE, we need to build our power by educating each other about the way that CORPORATIONS ARE UNDERMINING DEMOCRACY and HURTING WORKERS, WOMEN, PEOPLE OF COLOR, AND THE ENVIRONMENT around the world.
Enron is the Poster Child for Global Corporate Greed
Subversion of democracy
Corporations possess enormous amount of political power. Corporate giants like Enron use their political power to promote profits for executives at the expense of local communities and working families.
Enron payed enormous amounts of bribes to public officials in Maharashtra, India, to gain approval for an ill-conceived power project that has now cost the people of Maharashtra millions and forced them to cut basic services like education.
In the United States, Enron was one of George Bush's biggest donors. Enron pushed for retroactive tax cuts that would have forced American taxpayers to give them over $200 million dollars. Enron used their clout to convince Texas, California, and other state governments to deregulate energy markets, a move that made Enron millions and socked consumers with skyrocketing energy prices.
Free Trade and Deregulation
'Free trade' and 'deregulation' are both code words for allowing companies to operate without any sort of public accountability. Enron pushed for energy deregulation in California and other states across the country. The end result -- energy companies profited while consumers suffered rolling black-outs and were forced to pay outrageous electricity bills.
Free trade and deregulation have wrecked havoc on the developing world. The Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 was caused by unregulated capital outflows -- capital fleeing Asia en masse, leaving unemployment and destitution behind. The recent collapse of the Argentine economy was caused by economic policies that transferred resources and power into the hands of private companies, and then let them operate without concern for the public. The Enron scandal underscores the principle that promoting the needs of people, not protecting the drive for profit, needs to be our first priority.
Community Accountability
Corporations must be held accountable to workers, consumers, shareholders, and the communities who suffer the brunt of their destruction through transparency and regulation. Enron defrauded shareholders and employees alike out of livelihoods, pensions, and security. Enron's collapse abandoned thousands of workers without pensions or any means of supporting themselves after retirement. At the same time, corporate executives made millions by selling their stock early.
This pattern of corporate greed is seen around the world -- from sweatshops in China to oil exploitation and human rights abuses in Columbia. Corporations are motivated by profit; without transparency and regulations that hold companies accountable to workers, shareholders, and communities, they will always put the bottomline before the needs of people.
The Enron fiasco makes it clear that corporations are inherently self-serving and demonstrates the need for transparency, regulations, and democratic accountability in order to protect people and the environment from the intrinsic exploitation of capitalism.
Action Ideas
Rally in front of your investment office, demanding that your school invest responsibly (for more info on Socially Responsible Investing check-out the SRI section of the STARC website -- www.starcalliance.org)
Teach-in with academics, activists, and community leaders talking about corporate power and making the connection between Enron, energy deregulation, and multinational trade agreements like the WTO and FTAA.
Guerrilla Theater performance in a public area of campus where you make your message heard by acting it out
Press Conference where you compare Enron to other corporations and call for sweeping reforms (for more info contact tmoyer (at) hampshire.edu).
Postering blitz that covers the campus in facts connecting Enron to WTO/IMF/World Bank/FTAA/etc.
Speakers on your campus who can rally the crowd and present the compelling history of corporate power and the struggle of our people (contact tmoyer (at) hampshire.edu)
Some facts…
The CEOs of major corporations often make more than 400 times as much as their front-line workers.
With the most powerful economy in the history of the world, 40 million Americans go without health care.
The rate of species extinction, due to industrial habitat destruction, is more than 1000 times what it should be naturally.
Last year there were 100 corporations that gave over $50,000 to both political parties, making “friends” with whoever might end up in power.
Resources
Visit the STARC website to download fact sheets about Enron and a sample press release: www.starcalliance.org.
For a great packet of ideas about organizing an action or event and a step-by-step guide to holding a press conference, go to the Citizen Works website and click on the tools section: www.citizenworks.org.
For more info about Enron and it's nefarious ties to the Bush administration, visit: www.thedailyenron.org.
For lots of good reports about the destructive impact of the WTO, WEF, IMF, World Bank, FTAA and other global subversions of democracy, visit: www.ips-dc.org or www.publiccitizen.org/trade.
If you have questions, or want help getting started, contact Trent Moyer at tmoyer (at) hampshire.edu.
Laura Close, STARC Field Organizer
503.247.5995
www.starcalliance.org
"Holding each other close across differences, beyond conflict, through change, is an act of resistance."
--bell hooks |
See also:
http://www.starcalliance.org
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Interesting Opinion Along This Line of Thought |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
25 Mar 2002
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http://www.commondreams.org/views02/0322-07.htm |
