BIT:Corp voting rights?

November 10, 2021, 01:46 PM

As a running gag, we have a couple “theoretical” campaigns in my SC herf - though one might really run, if his wife can be convinced to let him.

It’s a district which only has to concern itself with the GOP primary.

What do y’all think about the idea that a company should be granted votes, based on how much they pay in taxes?

EG, a local city resident pays 10,000 in taxes annually. A company pays 100,000 in taxes to that jurisdiction, so it would get ten votes in the city election.

November 10, 2021, 02:01 PM

Skull Leader

Not a good idea. The people that would decide where those votes go already have their own vote.

November 10, 2021, 04:15 PM

Perception

I don't really want to give the Wal-Marts and the Amazons more political power than they already have. Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates with more collective votes than the majority of the US population is a terrifying thought. The huge lobbies already have many politicians locked away, no need to formalize it. As skull leader said, everyone in the corporation already has a vote.

"The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford, "it is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't the people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them. They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards."
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard, then the wrong lizard might get in."

November 10, 2021, 05:42 PM

Aglifter

So, my counter to that how else to counter the tendency of the voters to demand everything be subsidized by the business community.

November 10, 2021, 06:07 PM

berto

The corps already get votes. They're tallied in the lobbying box not the ballot box. Their votes tend to carry more weight.

If the business community is unhappy with paying freight they can lobby to change those rules and have done so pretty successfully.

November 11, 2021, 08:20 AM

snidera

quote:
Originally posted by Aglifter:
As a running gag, we have a couple “theoretical” campaigns in my SC herf - though one might really run, if his wife can be convinced to let him.

It’s a district which only has to concern itself with the GOP primary.

What do y’all think about the idea that a company should be granted votes, based on how much they pay in taxes?

EG, a local city resident pays 10,000 in taxes annually. A company pays 100,000 in taxes to that jurisdiction, so it would get ten votes in the city election.

The constitution would have to be thrown out & started from scratch. How do you think that would go?
I'd prefer the other direction - No campaign$$ from anything but an individual citizen of the US.
I'm on the fence about eliminating taxes for non-citizen entities. I think it's a good ideal, but not practical. "No taxation without representation" is something I remember from grade school history on what led to the revolution. Corporations/large entities already have representation (too much IMO), so I'm ok with taxing them (but also too much, IMO).

November 11, 2021, 08:37 AM

rburg

With a few modifications, I like it. If a guy pays 10,000 in taxes, then some lazy bum should get no votes (I'm retired, hence I'm a lazy bum these days.) Better still, if you don't work but suck up welfare, food stamps, SS? you get no say.