Certain corporations are too powerful, that is for certain. I don't think this is that new of an occurrence though. The influence exerted by large corporations over non-corporations goes beyond lobbying politicians who are eager to accept sizable campaign donations. Take a look at the heavy product placement in films and then ask why movies are not made about certain subjects.
Recently, PepsiCo launched a PR campaign to ensure that they would maintain their product sales in schools. "We have removed beverages containing sugar from school vending machines." Looks good to many people on the surface, however diet soda is hardly better than regular. Not only have artificial sweeteners lead to certain specific ailments, but the diet beverages in question still contain heavy amounts of sodium. Of course this "voluntary" action by PepsiCo makes people see the company as more responsible. But what is their real angle? Yum Brands, another branch of PepsiCo, the name behind fast food restaurants such as Taco Bell, KFC and Pizza Hut, is one of the largest contractors with school districts across the country for the hot lunch program. This is one of the key reasons we have such an obesity epidemic in this country. So how did PepsiCo come across this path to conspicuous consumption of their junk food in our nations schools? Well, for that, follow the string of terrible legislation, then follow who voted for said legislation and see where their campaign dollars came from. That is the simple formula. You can use it with banks, oil, telecom, and big pharma.
I chose to use our school lunch system as an example, because not only is it paid for by tax dollars once, but twice. School lunch is heavily subsidized, and that is the way it needs to be if there is a program at all. Some would say that if we spent more on the program, schools could offer healthier fare. While I believe that is true, I think that even with the money spent now, we could still achieve that end. One needs to ask, how did we get to the point where preparation of school lunches moved from outside the school's kitchen, to the factories making food for Yum Brands. Well, part of that is because school districts are afraid of law suits that could be brought about from improperly cooked foods. With budgets tight, the priority is not to hire the most qualified kitchen staff. Much easier to go off location and shift the responsibility to a corporation that is largely untouchable. In fact, many districts find that it would be impossible to go back to the old way of doing things where this program is concerned because of the problems that have been created by legislation and budgetary decisions spanning the last 20-30 years.
Why I talk about this problem is because children really have no choice in this matter. As adults, we should proceed with caution in life. We should know better. If my doctor suddenly sounds a bit more like a drug dealer, I am going to refuse to accept being pushed on prescriptions that just came on the market. If someone offers me an interest-only home loan or a reverse mortgage, I am going to be suspicious, since neither statement makes much sense. Basically, if it sounds too good to be true, it is. However, this sort of skepticism comes from years of disillusionment.
Now, for the fun part. Is there a solution to keep this sort of thing in check? Yes. First off, this requires a strong news media, one that serves as whistle blower, and not agenda setter. Along with that, we need better media literacy. In the information age, this is a huge challenge, since there is so much dubious information out there passing as news. Reliable sources are not the players with the most money. You will never see a story about the privatization of water on NBC when one of their parent companies is Vivendi. Much better to turn to viewer/listener sponsored independent news sources such as Democracy Now, or National Public Radio. The next facet is to take the information and become more involved. Corporations have lobbyists, but the general citizenry can lobby too. There has been recent legislation limiting the amount lobbyists can spend on freebies. No $100 + lunch tabs anymore. This was a way to try to level the playing field. Likewise, there is a limit on how much money a corporation can donate to a campaign. Of course, this law is being broken far too often. That is where citizen watchdog groups come in. Don't just let this matter get settled in a court of law after the campaign is over with. Refuse to vote for candidates that break campaign finance law. When you know someone has, tell everyone you know. If the media hasn't picked up the story, make sure they do. Write letters to the editor, letting people know this is unacceptable.
The problem with bought and paid for politicians has become so prevalent due to the fact that most voters care little about the issue. It does not rank as a significantly important issue in polling, even though it should. The only way to keep corporations in check is through an engaged and active citizenry. I know that sounds a bit cliche at this point, because it is the solution to so many of our problems. That should tell you something
