Agency

            Agency is the power to do something, to make a difference on a given issue.  With this in mind, I would like to consider the specific issue of campaign finance reform with compliments to Naomi Klein’s book, No Logo, and give agency a try.

  I believe that this is a major issue in society because it affects how our country will be run.  There are these Super PACS that are dictating the course of our elections because it belittles the voice of the lower and middle classes.  The Super PAC has no restrictions on how much money it may raise for a candidate.  However, the money that is raised by the Super PAC may not go directly to the candidate.  This means that the Super PAC has to publish its own advertisement whether it is directed in a positive light for the candidate or to degrade his competitors. 

            The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Super PACS by a 5-4 vote.  There was a lot of arguing going for both sides and the ultimate decision was made because super PACS are backed by the First Amendment.  The First Amendment granting the rights to freedom of speech has revealed that Money is now the main contributor to giving the individual the ability to speak in the political process.

            The main problem with money being a main source of speech is that not everyone has money.  The United States is a representative state that allows for each citizen to have the right to vote, and give testimony on political processes.  However, how can this be true when the voice of the people is not truly heard by the government?  Based on the Supreme Court’s ruling, money is what yields freedom of speech in political processes.  This cannot be true because the voice of the middle and lower classes is submerged beneath that of the elites.  The elites have all the money and they are the ones that have the most political sway.

Downtown St. Paul

            The need for political equality is great.   I come from a neighborhood whose voice is belittled because it is poor.  I come from the ghetto in St. Paul (granted that my block is a few blocks away from the rougher parts of St. Paul but not directly in it).  I see the troubles of the lower class and I see the issues that they face on a daily basis.  I highly doubt that the government or even less likely, the rich see the struggles of the lower classes so why should they be the only ones that are making the decisions for them.  Campaign finance reform is necessary so that the voice of the lower and middle classes can be heard.  As of now, I see that their voice is hidden and left to the arbitrary will of the higher classes and the government.  I highly doubt that the founding fathers wanted this type of America.  All men are to be treated equally and all have the right to political equality.  The very freedoms that the founding fathers fought for against the British rule are now present again.  There needs to be equality. 

            Naomi Klein’s book, No Logo, addresses how big corporations have weaseled their way into many different affairs that should be out of their jurisdiction.  The major corporations have the money and means to sway political affairs away from any legislation that would impede the progression of the company.  There is a great need for reform so that the government does not become the puppet of major corporations and wealthy investors.  I urge there be reform and that the Supreme Court reverse their decision because it is leads to unconstitutional events and political inequality.

Slave Labor and the U.S.

            It is mesmerizing to think that the United States is prized as one of the greatest nations in the world but I question if we should really have this title.  The past few days have been eye-opening for me as we have learned and discussed about the idea of the “brand” and how America exploits workers to make a profit.  I am not generalizing and stating that ALL of America has succumbed to such treachery rather I would state that a few if not the majority of major corporations have focused on giving jobs to women of other nations.  Oh by the way, jobs in this context is the equivalent of slave labor as these women are subjected to constant harassment, discrimination, poor and unsanitary working conditions, eighty hour work weeks, and they receive dismal wages.  This emphasis on slave labor for these corporations (of course, they would never admit to it) has allowed them to make an astronomical profit but it also takes away the basic human rights that the individual deserves.

            The ideal of the brand is to spread your name out throughout the masses so that you can better make a profit.  Major corporations have found a loophole to the United States’ laws on employment by expediting their work force to other nations.  These nations have certain sectors that target younger women.  Younger women are more susceptible to these terrible conditions that have been previously stated because they do not have a choice in some cases.  Some women are forced into this horrific atmosphere because they need to make money for their family to survive.  The women are restricted and forced to work their fingers to the bone for little to no money.  They do not have adequate time with their families and they suffer to make ends meet.  These major corporations need to have some sort of punishment rained down upon them because of their exploitation.

A Nike "Factory" in China.

            The major corporations are allowed to make a major profit because they barely have to pay their workers.  For example, if a woman in Micronesia works 16 hours a day and only makes $.50 an hour (that is if she is lucky to make that much).  She is only making eight dollars for that day of work.  Now compare that to the price that the corporation is selling the item for in the United States.  The product easily surpasses the amount of labor that the woman earns and it is not justifiable that the company leaves the woman with barely enough money to make ends meet but they have a 500% profit on one t-shirt or whatever the item may be.  This is the harsh reality that we need to face in America.

            America needs to wake up and see the error in her ways.  There needs to be harsher sanctions against the tyrannical exploitation of corporations.  These corporations can no longer go unopposed.  There must be a punishment for these heinous crimes.  Should America truly be considered a great nation because we turn our backs on the rest of the world so that we can make a profit while allowing those in poverty to suffer?  I believe that American needs to have drastic reformation in order to reclaim its own identity of a super power.  The United States is on a slippery slope and will no longer be the home that I want to live in if it does not fight for the justice of the poor and the justice of those in need.