Because of their political power, they are able to define, or at very least substantially affect, the civil and criminal regulations that define the boundaries of permissible behavior. Virtually no individual criminal has such abilities. Corporations can combine with each other into bigger and more powerful entities. Corporations can divide themselves, shedding subsidiaries or affiliates that are controversial, have brought them negative publicity, or pose liability threats. These unique attributes give corporations extraordinary power and make the challenge of checking their power all the more difficult.
Corporations have no conscience, or has been famously said, no soul.
As a result, they exercise little self-restraint. The fact that corporations are not like us, their very unique characteristics, makes crucially important the development of an array of controls on corporations. This is the beginning of a sketch of an ambitious agenda, but there is no alternative, if democracy is to be rescued from the corporate hijackers who masquerade as everyday citizens. Robert Weissman is editor of the Washington, D.C.-based Multinational Monitor . Focus on the Corporation appears Tuesdays.