Idea: every time a corporation causes a disaster like the oil spill, or mine collapse

It's like the "tilt" function on a pinball machine ---> GAME OVER

The federal government immediately takes ownership of the company and ALL of it's assets and insurance, which is then used to cleanup the mess.

But from then on, those resources are now SOCIALIZED.

We play it like a game of attrition. They have their chance, but they forfeit all if they "tilt" the game.

So what's your best guess, how many years would it be before the US Fed owned half of current corporations?

We call it: Socialism by Attrition

Good idea?

LOL... but I do like your idea. It would definitely pass a sense of ownership onto each company; thus, hopefully, reducing the number of accidents and safety violations.

While I doubt the cause of the explosion will ever be found (although it's likely to have originated with a Jonesing smoker who didn't know the rig was leaking methane somewhere), the type of consistent safety violations that are reported in the Massey Corporation's coal mines haven't been reported. This is one of those "act of god" things that can't be tied to company policy.

Your idea makes sense only when the companies are like Massey or Goldman Sachs and do things they know are wrong just to make more money even thought they'd have been profitable had they obeyed the rules. In those cases, the death penalty should be applied to the corporate persons and the executives found to be culpable should be jailed.

Corporations are great servants but incredibly poor masters. What this country needs to do is turn them back into our servants. In order to do that, we'll have to find a way to rid ourselves of the fascist court, preferably by impeaching the worst.

especially when there is loss of life.

Sid

Both disasters were avoidable, and were due to negligence.

Management figured safety took second place to production, and the costs vs benefits pointed toward taking the easy way out.

Well, in both cases, now..mining and offshore drilling..the shortcuts and negligence have led to disaster and death..and have ended up costing a hell of a lot more than safety testing and precautions would have cost in the first place. Those costs apply to the corporations as well as those workers and others in the area affected by the disasters.

Why were there not already options in place to make sure the emergency capping of the oil well would work in case of an emergency..it would appear that capping was never tested.

Why is BP only NOW talking about some multi million dollar, time consuming contraption they are building to be able to go down into the sea and cap the well? Where the hell were all these options BEFORE the disaster? Isn't that what safety is all about...Plan for the worst case scenario..even when you hope that it never happens. BUT AT LEAST PLAN!!!! Pilots never want their planes to crash..but they have parachutes...The key words are JUST IN CASE!!!!

In both the mine disaster and the offshore drilling disaster, the corporations were flying by the seats of their pants and did not give a shit about the people or the environment..only profit.

They should all be sent to jail for criminally negligent homicide...as well as being penalized for the environmental damage they did!!

:rant:

:mad: :puke: :wtf: :spank: :grr: :nuke: :shrug: :cry: :banghead:

discontinue use altogether?

sP

as the OP suggests...there is no real reason to believe the gov't controlled environment will be any better than the private sector. my point is that seizing the asset(s) will not make it better...

sP

The corporation stays in business, but every penny of earnings goes into the Treasury until the company has paid for its damages in full with interest. Workers continue at their regular salary and negotiated benefits, but the big shots work for subsistence wages until they've paid their financial debt to the society they injured.

I like the takeover idea sort of, but Post #7's tweaks are really workable and American people would actually support a mandatory period of strict oversight.