Corporations indeed need to be reined in

I’ve noticed that a lot of talking heads in the news media, such as George Will, like to characterize the Occupy Wall Street protesters as unfocused and “opaque.” Will went so far as to describe them as hippy-wannabes, nostalgic for the ’60s, probably in an effort to delegitimize the Occupy movement. But I don’t think it’s going to work. Polls show that, unlike Mr. Will, a great many Americans not only understand the message of the protesters, they support them, myself included.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer puts it best when he says there are two parties in this country, Corporate and Corporate Lite. Our democracy has become so corrupted by corporate influence that public policy is being determined not by what is good for our country, but what is good for the shareholders. The disastrous results are everywhere, from the financial meltdown that was caused when the banking industry lobbied for deregulation to a health care system controlled by Big Pharma and private insurance companies. And because our energy policy is controlled by Big Oil and Big Coal, we continue to ignore the very real threats of climate change. The Supreme Court decision on Citizens United ensures that the trend will only worsen, now that corporations can spend virtually unlimited amounts of money to influence elections.

And that’s why people are taking to the streets. The occupiers in New York and Chicago and cities all around the country realize this is a critical time for our democracy. The gap between the rich and poor in America is the largest since 1928, and yet calls for social justice are met with accusations of “class warfare” or “socialism.” The choice doesn’t have to be between capitalism and socialism, does it? Can’t we have capitalism with a conscience?

Janet McDonnell

Arlington Heights