Do you remember 'taxation without representation" from what you learned in school?

Basically the East India Company (often in colonial times referred to as "the corporation" ), was granted a royal monopoly and was allowed to impor many items, includign tea, withut beign taxed. While the small merchants and businesses were beign taxed. In short, the founding of our country was based on a revolt over corporations. Americans were taxed, and had no representation in England, whiel the coporation was nto taxed, but had a lto fo representation and influence in England. Much like how soporations have very much influence in the U.S. Government today.

Until the establishment of hte railroads, corporations were by law limited to life of a maximum of 50 years (in many states is was fewer years than that), and were basically formed to complete public works projects such as roads and bridges. Then everyoen who had experienced or remembered what it was like to live under the coporate rule of the East India Company, had died, and coporations regained a foothold, and have gradually gained in power and influence.

A corporation has no conscience, no empathy and no regard for human life. It is an artificial construct. The idea that coporations shoudl have constitutional rights is ludricrous, but republicans seek to five them those rights.

The basis for the arguement is that the way the tax system was organized, way back before coporations were allowed unlimited lifetimes, to only collect taxes from people. Rather thahn rewrite the tax code, they instead made corporations "arificial persons" for tax purposes. Corporations have used the status of "artificial person" to gain rights granted to actual people though a logn line of court ruling over more than 100 years.

In short. The rich now use corporations as a legal sheild to do all the things they are nto allowed to do as actual people, or to avoid responsibility and liability for draconian money making methods. You see corporations are leaglly separate from the individual(s) who owns it. Their responsibility is diffused (legally) so thinly, that they themselves can't be prosecuted for what a corporation does.

Anyway, historically coporations allw for mush greater abuses of power if they are not properly regulated, was was learned by the Americn colonists.

Corporations can be a great tool for success, but if not regulated they can also be a great tool for abuse. That is why we have laws against monopolies and trusts, even if they haven't been enforced since Reagan took office.

@snytiger6 Thus, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy) was a philosopher, essayist, poet and novelist.”

In my most optimistic moments, I hoped we'd get the senate too. However, most of the Seanate Seats up for election this year were held by democrats. I jus tthought iwas more likley to lose at least 2 seats than to gain 2.

I am just concerned that there may be another Supreme Court vacancy before Trump leaves office.

@snytiger6 I really hope she can last another two years.

@Marine They say other than three broken ribs from her fall, she is healthy... but I wasn'[t alkign about Ruth Bader Ginsberg specifically.

@snytiger6 The others are healthy unless one rep has a heart attack

@Marine I've been thinking Thomas looks liek a heart attack waiting to happen. I'd still be concerned, because replacing an older judge with a younger one would have long term impacts.

All that BS from a guy who sat on his hands?! Tell us, all-knowing-one - did you vote?

@Varn Aww I've got another self-righteous fan, but this one likes bold text in place of being able to create a supporting argument or create any useful dialogue. No I didn't vote, I explained that in the last post. Clearly you've still gor a bee up your ass about it, lol. I guess when you need a scape goat for our shitty political climate and can't blame your government, you look to the people beside you who are smarter than you and don't try the same shit that's proven ineffective time and again. In other words, you cry and point fingers and pout but still don't change shit.

If my post is BS, please explain how as last time I asked for information to prove how voting was useful to contradict ANYthing I provided you, you were light on details and heavy on indignation.

@mattersauce “No I didn't vote” -- Got it, reading over - point made~

@Varn Like I said, self-righteous over intelligent discourse. When you can't even understand why you're voting but you need to feel better about your impotence, you get reactions like this.

@WhereAtAtheist An acquaintance wit dual Canadian and U.S. citizenship tells me that Canada has quietly greatly increased their border security and immigration monitoring out of fear tht man American swill choose to leave with Trump in office.

@WhereAtAtheist ..think that one went over my head ...but I just voted for Tim Kaine ..cuz it was apparently rigged against poor Corey