Corporate Colonization

As the election nears, we have a bird's eye view of just how much Corporate America has infested our political process. No longer is there a separation between business and government - the two are now one and the same. While we all know that corporations dump huge amounts of cash into political races, recent elections and the upcoming one now regularly feature major candidates for state and federal office who not only take that money, but come right from Corporate America's ranks, as either lobbyists, top executives, or consultants. These are not small businesspeople, mind you. These are people who come straight out of Big Business's ranks and who, as lawmakers, are supposed to oversee the same industries they came out of.

Indiana: Mitch Daniels, former Vice President of drug maker Eli Lilly, is the GOP nominee for governor. Not surprisingly, he is actively campaigning against allowing Americans to purchase lower-priced medicines from Canada.

Montana: Bob Brown, former corporate lobbyist for energy and telecommunications companies, is the GOP nominee for governor.

South Dakota: John Thune, a corporate lobbyist who pushed the limits on congressional lobbying ethics rules, is the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate.

Colorado: Pete Coors, Chairman of Coors Brewing Company, is the GOP nominee for Senate in Colorado. He has used his candidacy to push for a lower drinking age.

Louisiana: Bobby Jindal, a former corporate consultant to Fortune 500 CEOs at McKinsey & Company, is a leading congressional candidate in Louisiana's 1st district.

Mississippi: Haley Barbour, one of Washington, D.C.'s premiere lobbyists, last year was elected Governor of Mississippi.

These, of course, are just a few examples. But they show a new trend. In a way, electing these people - and others like them - is Corporate America's newest way to make sure it gets what it wants out of public policy. Instead of trying to influence lawmakers, they are making their own the lawmakers themselves. They are, in effect, colonizing the political system from within.