What
do transnational corporate giants know that we don't? Do you ever wonder
why CEOs have all that fun dwelling in decadent luxury while the rest of
us live from paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet? Of course
you do.
Well, stop dreaming
and read on ... because here, for the first time ever, are the top seven
secrets of America's most dynamic and successful corporations:
1. Say no to unions. Avoid the annoying hassles and unnecessary costs
of dealing with overtime pay, sick leave, OSHA rules, strike threats, and
other labor related nuisances. Keep those union organizers away, hire
temps, outsource jobs overseas; it's the American Way.
2. Cut labor costs.
Sweatshop: How does 15 cents an hour sound to you? No lunch break.
No bathroom breaks. Remember, if your company doesn't hire that pre-teen
girl in El Salvador, her family will starve. Have a heart.
Prisoners: Imagine a workforce that lives and sleeps at the work
place. Think outside the box, but inside the cells. Prison labor ... it's
not just license plates anymore.
Slaves: The ultimate
choice for maximum profit. Never mind the touchy-feely human rights talk.
It's not our job to meddle in another sovereign nation's business. After
all, if there's going to be indentured servitude, you can be damn sure
your competitor won't be squeamish about cashing in.
3. Exploit corporate welfare. Here's how the commies at Public
Citizen explain it: "Each year, U.S. taxpayers subsidize U.S. businesses
to the tune of almost $125 billion, the equivalent of all the income tax
paid by 60 million individuals and families. These corporations receive a
wide range of favors: special corporate tax breaks; direct government
subsidies to pay for advertising, research and training costs; and
incentives to pursue overseas production and sales." Well ... what are you
waiting for?
4. Disregard environmental regulations. Ask your shareholders how they
feel about installing those expensive safeguards just to save a salamander
or two. Besides, thanks to "greenwashing," it's not like anyone notices.
Just because you're an oil company doesn't mean you can't sell yourself as
a friend of the environment, right? Learn from Kraft. They creatively
promoted their cereals as having "natural ingredients" when in fact, the
corn they use is genetically engineered. Take-home message: Perception is
reality.
5. Take advantage of the magic of public relations. Toxic sludge has
become bio-solids. Used is now pre-owned. McDonald's sells salads. Front
groups, fake op-eds, third party testimonials ... check out what PR Watch
is bitching about if you're not sure what to do.
6. Make strategic campaign contributions. Managing your bottom line is
so much easier with a few members of Congress on your side. We live in
a democracy; why not make it work for your company? Remember: Senators
need vacations, too.
7. Donate lots of money to safe, generic charities. Nothing says "hero"
like a big fat check ostensibly earmarked for needy kids in some
godforsaken corner of the globe. Don't forget to enlist a celebrity to
keep the focus on your generosity and away from the conditions that create
the need for charity in the first place.
As J. Paul Getty sez: "Formula for success: Rise early, work hard,
strike oil." So what you are waiting for? This is truly the land of
opportunity...
Mickey Z.
can be found on the Web at:
www.mickeyz.net.
His latest book is
50
American Revolutions You're Not Supposed to Know: Reclaiming American
Patriotism
(Disinformation Books, 2005).
Other Recent Articles and
Poems by Mickey Z.
*
Haditha and
Rumsfeld's Ratio
* Challenging
the Auto-Dependant Lifestyle
* Impeachment
is Just One Tiny Step
* The White
Washing of Muhammad Ali™
* 15 Minutes
of Radical Fame: America Meets Blum and Churchill
* Parenti Does
Culture
* An Interview
with John “Indio” Washington
* Target Iran:
A Day at the Arms Races
* Haiku
* Which Wolf
Will You Feed in 2006?
* GI Joe
Goes to Baghdad
* Stillborn
* Politics
on Your Plate
* An
Occupation Worth Applauding: Celebrate Un-Thanksgiving
* Stealing
Veteran's Day from the Militarists
* Strike for
Peace: An Interview with Brian Bogart
* POW Abuse:
Nothing New Going on Here
* An
Interview with Thaddeus Rutkowski
* The Lords
of War: Arming the World at a Theater Near You
* Keep the
“Labor” in Labor Day: Remembering the Lowell Mill Girls
* The Bonus
Army
* Helen
Keller: Not Blind to War Crimes
* Vermin and
Souvenirs: How to Justify a Nuclear Attack
* “Karl Rove
Isn't the Only Monster Out There”: An Interview with Josh Frank
* “Guilty
Until Proven Innocent” An Interview with Dr. Walter M. Brasch
* Politics
and the Playing Field: An Interview with David Zirin
* Water on
the Brain
* The
Pentagon Papers, 34 Years Later
* The Mother
of All Days
* May Day at
Yankee Stadium
* The
Endgame of an American Chess Genius
* The
Million Dollar Interview
* What Ward
Churchill Didn't Say
* Leslie
Gelb Asks Iraq: Who's Your Daddy?
* “Piss on
Pity”: Clint Eastwood's “Million Dollar” Snuff Film
* I Want My
DDT
* A Wave
of Questions: Putting a Disaster in Context
* Crumbs
from Our Table: Direct Action for Third World Misery
*
Interview with a Tupamaro
* An
Interview with William Blum
* A Non-ABB
Take on Electoral Fraud
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