NationStates

Picairn wrote:

Plzen wrote:Private property began when some entrepreneurial strongman figured out that he can just wall off some natural resource, which was formally held in common, and use violence to enforce his right to dictate how it is used.

Since property and ownership are arbitrary concepts with no basis in objectively measurable reality anyways, nobody deserves to own anything and the rightful distribution of property is whatever distribution creates the socially optimal results. Of course the definition of "socially optimal" varies with ideology, but this laissez-faire idea that there exists such a thing as the natural distribution of property is really strange, if you think about it.

"Tragedy of the Commons" is proudly standing in your way.

The Emerald Legion wrote:Nobody generates wealth. Wealth exists. You simply shift it around, or sometimes discover more.

Bear Stearns wrote:

The Black Forrest wrote:
Because the executives can do on their own eh?

Yes, through strategic decisions. They make decisions regarding capital expenditures, mergers & acquisitions, leverage, and cash flows. All of these things contribute far more to the actual value of a company than the output of a single worker.

The Black Forrest wrote:

Bear Stearns wrote:
Yes, through strategic decisions. They make decisions regarding capital expenditures, mergers & acquisitions, leverage, and cash flows. All of these things contribute far more to the actual value of a company than the output of a single worker.

Yes they do. From the workers who gathered the data for them to make those decisions.

SD_Film Artists wrote:As long as the donation is transparent and they're not trying to gain any special treatment (ie making a de facto corporate police force) I don't see the problem. It could be read as- 'Helpful company generously donates money back into the community'.

Big Oil

I've always found it weird how America likes to demonise large industries with 'Big [Something]' while at the same time creating the hyper-capitalist environment which allows said companies to exist. It's like America is full of masochists..

Bear Stearns wrote:

The Black Forrest wrote:
Yes they do. From the workers who gathered the data for them to make those decisions.

The workers who usually gather that data are white collar professionals making over six figures. Not really what people think of when they think of "labor". Unionize the financial analysts, I guess.