Les Kish

I agree with two major points of this documentary. The first one is not being a responsible citizen (as technically a corporation is considered to be a person) by causing disastrous environmental pollution and the second one is setting up operations in a third word, low cost country and then re-importing products to the US. The fair way of expanding an operation in a different country is to market the product there and then after paying local taxes, bring any profit back home. This is the way major businesses, like Ford and GM in Europe, Toyota and Honda in the US, Coca Cola and Nestle worldwide expanded their businesses worldwide and marketed their products outside of their home country. Reimportation of these low cost products should be subjected to tariffs. The other misconception ignored in the documentary was low wages in third word countries. Because of the enormous economic difference between western and third world countries, there is a huge difference in local prices and wages. A loaf of bread in Afghanistan is about six cents. Local wages are only a small fraction of US wages. The entire economy, including wages and cost structure are on a totally different level than in the US. By opening a western operation and paying out significantly higher wages would upset the local economy and would have a devastating effect on local business there. I was surprised that one area of corporations wasn’t covered. I believe that compensation of CEOs of publicly traded organizations is unfair and out of control. The moneys paid out to these individuals could be and should be used to improve competitiveness of an organization, such as spending on new technologies. However, this should not apply to privately owned companies. What I completely detested in this documentary was its negative bias toward capitalism and free market. Which was not surprising to hear from intellectuals and professors reporting from the conform of their offices. Market based economy throughout the western world has resulted in the highest standard of living ever experienced in human history. After the 1917 revolution, following the ideology and doctrine of Marx, Engels and Lenin, a new, centrally planned economic system was established in the Soviet Union, which, after 70 years has failed miserably. Today, there are still a handful of states that operate based on Marxist principles. Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela, all are in the brink of total economic collapse. While I tend agree, that some public services, such water supply, basic education, public safety and road construction should not have a profit motive. The truth is, however, that often these public institutions tend to be somewhat wasteful with over employment and bureaucracy. Mot of us humans are selfish and greedy, not ready for utopia. Still, the only effective economic system today is market based capitalism.

I’ve read the Foundation series many year ago and thoroughly enjoyed them along with every single Asimov novel and stories. Unfortunately the series with great special effects is a different story. It is a contemporary version of sci-fi shows common these days with a diverse cast focusing on humans with dark completion. Are we focusing on potplitical correctness? After watching three boring episodes I called it quit.