The term,
'The Church of Limited Liability' occurred to me as I was driving down the Texas coast, on
Mustang Island, just south of Corpus Christi, when I came across
this, probably a remnant of an offshore rig, a tank with a mysterious cross-like pipe coming out of the top.
If you've not been to Mustang Island, it is a stretch of beach you can drive down about 60 miles south, toward Brownsville and Mexico. It is quite beautiful. I'm sure it was once spectacular. Yet, the garbage and oil rigs stand out against the beauty more so on this visit. Perhaps because of my recent interest in politics, I don't know, but it is unsettling and, perhaps, indicative of a larger problem.
Increasingly, lack of accountability is a defining characteristic for our most important institutions today, churches, corporations, media and government. Taken together, this lack of responsibility constitutes a grave risk to democracy and freedom and hope for future Americans and to the world.
"The Church of Limited Liability" is referenced in the apocrypha of "The Gospel of Elvis." Mark J. Davis is listed as the Hierophant.
"God is not responsible. No warranties express or implied."
Thank you for pointing that out, Crashing Vor!
Churches
Watching a show about ancient religious wars I had an epiphany when I found barbaric religious wars continue today. Literally, it took my breath away as it occurred to me we've learned nothing. Religion and hate are inextricably linked because it protects and projects one dogma at the expense of all others. Over and over, religious based hate is leveraged to carry out atrocities that stand in stark contrast to the core values of the religion. Hypocrisy rules. Responsibility is shirked. People die. Ignorance prevails. Over and over again.
But religion is not the culprit. Those who use religion as a platform to impose their will on others are to blame. The separation of church and state, bestowed on us by our founding fathers, was instituted because of hard earned lessons they did not want us to repeat. But still, we do.
Modern example : A fundamentalist killing an abortion doctor.
Modern exmple 2 : Bush seeking guidance 'from a higher power' other than his father when contemplating war in Iraq, who had gone to war there before, by the way. That is not a joke. Irresponsible. Unbelievable. Unacceptable. But not a joke.
Corporations
When maximum profits and limited liability are the defining characteristics of an entity, long term success is inevitably jeopardized. Morality becomes a casualty when the bottom line is the only measure of success. Most recently, spiraling executive compensation is an ominous indicator of this behaviour. The system is intrinsically avaristic and almost everyone loses.
Times change but we are stuck in the past as the zest for capitalism keeps us on our current course. The industrial revolution was well suited for the rise of the corporation during the 20th century when getting maximum output from assembly lines can be clearly traced to maximizing profits. It was that success that propelled America into the greatest economic vehicle ever. That very economic machine, capitalizing on vast American resources, won the cold war and defines much of what America is today and we should be proud.
Even so, democracy is our greatest asset, not assembly lines, not capitalism, not corporations. And so democracy should be our greatest export, not selfish corporate interests. Instead of maximizing profits we should maximize equity. Limited liability corporations are in direct conflict with true democracy, especially in those countries whose resources we covet, in which case monopolistic, totalitarian practices equate to larger margins and so are preferred. Until our government takes responsibilty, holding corporations accountable, our future is uncertain, even bleak.
Modern exmple : Oil. The 'Enron Mentality'. Minimum wage. Corporate welfare. Capricious cencureship of environmental science.
Personal example : A personal friend, a truly actualized human being who gives of herself like no other I've met, at no cost, with no restrictions, was laid off by a very successful and profitable corporation, USAA. She had worked for USAA for 30 years, never worked anywhere else and was the most valuable person on our team. She had many accomodations, including one from the previous CEO, personally. Not one red mark on her record, not even a tardy slip, in thirty years of service.
Yet they came and walked her out as if she were a criminal. I can not tell you exactly how I felt, mostly surprise at first. Then contempt. Then anger and then more anger as I parsed what was going on. Though I was taken off guard, the math very quickly came to me. This is a spectacularly successful company. This was a business decision based on greed - pure and despicable avarice. She who had given exemplarily service to the company for 30 was written off like some used desk.
This was a profound moment for me and I cry when I think about this situation too much, honestly. But two things occurred to me at that time. 1) I would not stand to be a part of such an entity. 2) There are better people out there than myself. Really, I sat there, stunned as the gestapo approached her desk. She looked over at me, surely seeing the horror on my face and she smiled at me. She held her head high without the slightest animosity, proudly even, and she smiled at me. Like a warrior in the heat of battle she smiled at me and that is when I realized she was worth fighting for.
We need a government for the people by the people again because if we leave it up to corporations, we'll lose. America loses. We will all lose together.
Media
The news media is made up of corporations with special interests, so the news is the corporate agenda mitigated by facts. If you want the news, you've generally got to seek it. To get the real truth, you may need multiple sources. Corporate media news is kind of like candy, it may get you by for now but don't count on living off of it.
Modern example: Fox 'news'. Any questions?
Tip: Truth in advertising is another corporate casualty. If a news outlet has to use sales jargon like, 'We report. You decide' or 'Fair and balanced' you can probably assume they are lying.
Government
Is the government a corporation? No. Does corporate philosophy, and even control, bleed into government. Absolutely. Fact is, the current administration, more than any other, is run like a corporation, limited liability and all. Maximize profits. Winner take all. And, Fox news flash, the stakeholders are not you or I.
When did the government stop being responsible for its actions? When we let it. Right or wrong, I fondly remember Reagan. Particularly at his worst period when he publically admitted the "Iran-Contra Affair":http://en.wikipedia.org/.... If Reagan were president today, we might be in this quagmire and we might not even know it. Character and charisma and general honest passion for a position can hide a lot of things. In a democracy, outward stupidity is like blood to a shark. Republicans have made a dramatic tactical mistake with junior Bush and Democrats, in pursuant of democracy, must make them pay the political piper. Not only for our own sake but for the sake of the world.
By and large, the world has a different view of America than Americans do. The prestigious position we once had has been tarnished by the very things we have been talking about above. For good reason, though we'd rather not face it, they think we are greedy, avaristic, narcissistic, aggressive and self-righteous. Furthermore, the increasing hostility is startling and profoundly dangerous.
Corporations, particularily the Military Industrial Complex and Oil, have deep ties to the government, especially the current administration. Indeed, it is distressing to see the parallels between the beneficiaries of the war machine - and the war machine itself.
Bush Republicans and corporations perpetrate a doctrine of dominance on the world while we watch football and Fox news. Our children are funding it. Fear is the weapon of choice, indeed, it may be the only weapon. 911 has served the administration well.
Terror. False pretense. Fear. War. Halliburton. Fraud. War. Fear. Oil. Profit. Fear. Repeat.
Thanks to democracy, we can stop these crimes against common sense. The founding fathers were wise enough to realize the power of power and to institute mechanisms to thwart it. But power is as power does and if we don't fight it collectively, democratically, with universally excepted morality, it will win.
We've got to hold corporations, religion, media and, most importantly, our government, accountable or this little democratic experiment is done and the spirit embodied by the constitution and our founding fathers is dead.