| When we talk of crime and victimization, I think we | | | | government to legally victimize people with campaign |
| often think of street crime, as in individual acts by | | | | contributions, lobbyists, and media control. Additionally, |
| individual persons, such as rape and assault. However, | | | | even when prosecuted, corporations have the |
| corporations perform the most major forms of | | | | highest paid lawyers. And corporate crime rarely |
| criminal victimization. | | | | results in criminal prosecution and jail time, but instead |
| Corporations have more social and political power | | | | ends with a fine. |
| than most people, but they do not have the | | | | Also, let's not forget that corporate crime often |
| humanity. For the most part, they only care about | | | | results in violence. For example, 56,000 Americans die |
| the bottom line. They love money, and they will do | | | | every year on the job or from occupational diseases |
| anything to get it. They would slice the throats of | | | | such as black lung; many of those cases arise from |
| 5-year-old girls if it would make them money. For | | | | criminal recklessness. Other examples include the |
| example, consider when Bayer knowingly sold drugs | | | | violence of contaminated foods, pollution, hazardous |
| infected with AIDS. | | | | consumer products, and hospital malpractice. |
| Worse yet, corporations often get away with | | | | As Robert Mokhiber pointed out in 2007, corporate |
| victimizing people. They often get to victimize people | | | | crime inflicts far more damage on society than street |
| legally because they have the money to lobby and | | | | crime. |
| control the government. For example, consider all the | | | | I believe we can only effectively limit corporate |
| money the military industries, oil industries, and | | | | control over us by limiting the power of government. |
| private-owned prison industries have stolen from | | | | Insofar as a government has power over the people, |
| taxpayers by using some of their money to buy | | | | the big corporations will control and victimize us by |
| politicians. Or consider the corporations that steal | | | | controlling the government. |
| people's land via the government with eminent | | | | Whatever we do, we need to find a way to defend |
| domain. | | | | ourselves from corporations, not just from human |
| Though it is generally illegal for them to bribe | | | | citizens. |
| politicians, corporations can legally control the | | | | |