Something To Chew On #2 - The Country Microsoft

How long do you think it will be before the Nike company assassinates the CEO of Reebok?Better yet, how long before Nike invades Reebok?Do these questions sound strange? I'm sure they sound a little odd. Let me explain.Within globalization and the "free market" principle lays a hidden, rarely ever talked about possibility. One that I personally believe has a better chance of happening than not. I believe this is where our world is headed. I have yet to hear a conversation take place about this and I hope this topic gets brought up more often. Here we go...At some point in the near future, a multi-national company is going to buy a small country. Let's say hypothetically Microsoft buys Haiti. Here are some stats on Haiti: 80% live below the World Bank's definition of poverty. Average yearly income is $240. 80% of the population's average income is $100 a year. $3 to $4 a day is the pay for manual labor. 1% of the population would be considered "Middle Class" by the Industrialized Nation's definition.What Microsoft will bring to Haitians will seem like a God send. The company will raise the average income to 10,000 a year. Manual labor will be raised to $25 a day. 15% of the population will be considered "Middle Class" by the Industrialized Nation's definition. Microsoft will be still be able to achieve greater profits.Sounds like an improvement doesn't it? And it is... and it isn't.With Microsoft owning the country and essentially the people, what is to stop Microsoft from being a dictatorial government? Microsoft would only allow Microsoft approved food and materials. The people would receive Microsoft insurance. The children would be raised to function in Microsoft jobs. Microsoft would provide the education. Microsoft would collect their taxes. The country of Microsoft will not allow competitors or foreign shoe company employees into the country. Microsoft would issue Visa's. Microsoft would control the cost of store bought goods...leading to Microsoft water, sandwich meat, condoms, cloths, etc. Microsoft will create an army. Haitians will have to pledge allegiance to Microsoft.The country of Microsoft will not have a democratically elected leader. The laws will be established to maximize production of Microsoft products. Breaking the maximizing product laws are punishable by death.You know, this reminds me of a country...China.For those that do not believe this is a possibility, let me enlighten you:In 2007, the GLOBAL GDP was estimated to be $47 trillion.The top 250 companies in the world had combined sales in excess of $14.87 trillion, equivalent to nearly a third of the global GDP and an amount exceeding the GDP of the United States and the European Union (13.2 trillion and 13.74 trillion respectively)Just the top one hundred companies had sales worth over $9.72 trillionThe combined sales of just the top five (Wal-mart, ExxonMobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and General Motors) was nearly $1.5 trillion . Larger than the GDP of all but seven countries.For illustrated purposes, take all entities with sales or GDP in excess of $50 billion. All would agree that these are powerful economic units. Out of a 166 in total, only 60 are countries. 106, a substantial majority, are companies.This is not a perfect comparison sales and GDP. Corporate and national governments structures and reasons for existence are entirely different. (or are they?) GDP is also a measure of value added, where as sales are not. Also, national government budgets, the money states can spend, are only a fraction of GDP. One is linked to national interests while the other is driven by the interests of the major stock holders and chief executives and the board members who work for them.Now what should really bend your spoon is this: A 2006 study by United Nations University (UNU-WIDER) reports that the top 10 percents of adults world wide own 85 percent of global wealth, while the bottom half of the world's population owns barley 1 percent of the total.Of the elite 10 percent that own 85 percent of the wealth, the top 2 percent own half the world's wealth. The top 1 percent own 40 percent of the global wealth.So with all the information I just gave you, do you honestly believe, that the top 10 percent elites give a rat's ass what happens to you? Seriously, be honest. These people are the machine. They are the designers and the mechanics in which the system you live. In my humble opinion, globalization will lead to an even smaller concentration of power with a wider control apparatus. Corporations becoming countries is the most logical step to controlling labor cost and production. After all, if you own the labor force, what can't you produce that wouldn't be as cheap as you wanted it to be.

Channel: People & Blogs
Uploaded: July 3, 2008 at 11:02 am
Author: TheBigHo111

Length: 07:05
Rating: 4.83
Views: 289

Tags: capitalism  corruption  country  education  evolution  globalization  government  humanity  labor  law  money  revolution  

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