Should corporations be replaced with successful structure of credit unions (co-ops)?

[yurbud]

Poll question: Should corporations be replaced with successful structure of credit unions (co-ops)?

A co-op is run by elected members (customers) and/or employees.

They are one person one vote instead of one dollar one vote.

They are less tempted to do look at short term profits since that could screw their customers or employees, and needless to say, they are less likely to outsource jobs since that would hurt employees.

While banks are imploding from the corrupt self-dealing of the very wealthy at the top, credit unions are quietly humming along, steady as a rock.

Is it time to take the feeding tube out of the corporation, turn off their ventilator (if not put the pillow over their face and smother them) and let it die and nurture the co-op instead?

Obviously, there would still be room for sole proprietors and partnerships, since new small businesses are the source of most innovation. Ironically, when those businesses go public, very often the original owners want to make sure their early employees share the wealth.

But as the corporation grows, that top to bottom sense of family dies, and workers are seen as tools or more accurately toilet paper to be used and flushed.

Note: make the devil mad by voting this up on reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/politics/comments/80tcy/should_corporations_be_replaced_with_successful/

[Teaser]

1. wow..biased poll much?

.

[yurbud]

5. hey, I left out the one about beheading

[Greyhound]

2. There's a kick for ya, bud. n/t

[twitomy]

3. I think its a good idea...We should also

take this concept to the healthcare industry. A "health care co-opr" would take care of all its members health needs. Each member is part owner by way of paying his or her "dues". The dues can come from employers, out of pocket, govt, or any combination thereof. Every member has a vote on the healthcare co-op board of directors. The board determines what and how the healtcare services are provided. Doctors/nurses, etc are members and employees.

[yurbud]

4. I think a lot of them started out as non-profits, which accomplished much of the same thing

[Greyhound]

8. You know, not too long ago a significant portion of our health care delivery system was

municipal? I grew up in a city that had it's own hospital, and the state university had two, in fact, I don't think there were any private for-profit hospitals in the city.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. Co-ops are great

I've been a member of an electrical co-op and they are so much nicer than an electric company. I've gotten loans via my local lending co-op of which I am a member--and it's always great to be a member of a credit union rather than a bank. The only corporations that should be allowed to stand as is are non-profit corporations and very small corporations employing 10 workers or less.

[yurbud]

7. if they only have ten employees, why would they need to be a corporation?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. Don't ask me

ask the President of the Corporation I used to work for--he had only 3 employees besides himself.

[Occam Bandage]

9. Voluntarily? Certainly. Creating incentives to lead them there? Certainly.

Mandating the end of the corporation? That seems a bit radical.

[Cerridwen]

12. Then how about we return to the "bad old days" when corporate

charters were limited to 20 years after which they had to show and prove their contribution to the community in order to have it renewed rather than allowing them to exist "in perpetuity"?

[sybylla]

17. That sounds like a fine compromise

I also think a corporate death penalty should accompany a return to this rule - or, of course, it could stand on its own. We need the ability to ax the bad players. Investors should never profit on the bad acts of any corporation that poison, kill or pollute.

[yurbud]

18. I think that should also apply to execs, boards of directors, and major shareholders

if they don't show they are making a contribution to the community, they should not be allowed to continue to exist.

[yurbud]

16. that's why I gave Lincoln's option: contain it and let it die

of course that didn't go over to well with the slaveholding states.

[sybylla]

10. But Coops/Credit Unions are socialist

need I affix the sarcasm tag?

[yurbud]

13. and the next thing you know we could end up like France

with decent mass transit and free health care.

[sybylla]

14. Yeah, criminy. Then who would want to live here?

And where would all those whiny rich people have to go to live?

[yurbud]

15. the South of France like Richard Perle?