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Ruben Ruiz

Custody Officer, LASD

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Can corporations really interfere with the health or our world communites? If so how and what should we do about it?

If corporations' bottom line is profits for it's share holders, is there a moral obligation on their part that those profits are not at the expense of any community or it's own employees? Take for example the biggest oil corporations that have destroyed thousands of acres of fetile forests and have caused damage to our oceans again and again at the expense of many communities for decades. All the while making record profits for it's share holders. And there are many other corporations that do and keep doing similar damage at the many communities detriment. Does any entity have the power to challenge such violations on the part of such negligent corporations? If not, why not? This is of course my personal observation and I am no expert but I am simply posing these questions for the sake of the benefit of the only planet we have. If the UN is not looking out for the planet's and it's inhabitants interes' then who should the world community turn to for help? I don't even hear any plea from our world religious leaders on these critical matter, do you? If I'm wrong to assume any or all of this, can you at least guide me and show me where I might be off mark? Thank you.

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    Erik Danziger

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    Feb 8 2012: As you have pointed out, mr. Ruiz, the actions of the corporations speak for themselves. The only thing that matters is profit, even if it is at the expense of other people, communities, countries or the environment. The main advantage a corporation has is that it works at an international level, meaning still unregulated space. Naturally, these corporations will exploit the lack of regulations, the different law systems in different countries, the corruption of foreign governments, the poverty of other states and so on, with the single purpose of achieving their goals.

    What can be done to stop this kind of corporate behaviour? The answer might be stronger international regulations to avoid such exploitation, BUT the problem here is not only a legal one, it's an ethical one. And besides, corporations have influence over hundreds, if not thousands of politicians around the world who will help to ensure a favourable outcome of those on whose payroll they are.

    I sincerely doubt there is any VIABLE solution to this matter. I think we must wait until this system fails and collapses from inside, because only then MAYBE they will have learnt the lesson.
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      Ruben Ruiz

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      Feb 9 2012: I couldn't agree more with your statement Mr. Danzinger. I would only add that it seems to me that the world super powers' foreign poicies are for the most part responsible for opening the way and protecting the way corporations do business in these unregulated space at the international level.
      And this system of doing business as usual does in fact need to fail from within before we can really hope to find any viable solutions. And it does seem that this is already happening to some degree and more and more people are becoming aware of this unsustainable and dirty way of doing business as usual that corporations and their puppet world govenments keep telling us is the only way when is NOT.

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