Reforms of the political system in the US are needed, because money plays a too important role, and money power is fossil fuel and banking power. That said there is a new trend it seems.
There is a trend that more and more often CEOs of big companies are asked for their opinions on public matters. There is a long history of companies (besides doing harm industrially) making efforts to secure at least their own employees social situation. Whole cities including schools and hospitals have developed around factories like those of Philips in Eindhoven Holland or textile factories and harbour areas.
Mining towns did not add much to the lives of workers
People like Bill Gates is no longer CEO of Microsoft, but still holds a lot of cloud and is also investing in many initiatives that aim to improve the quality of life of people on earth. But Warren Buffet, who has profited from the US drug trade is also consulted like an oracle. It is a trend that may not be worrying, but is simply revealing. It has a clear consequence : If you are a politician and you listen to the CEO’s view, and you propose ideas that align with that view, then you can expect to get support during your campaign. If not you don’t.
Some factories where designed with the welbeing of the workers in mind
One can argue that as long as the opinions of CEO’s and entrepeneurs that can fund candidates is discussed openly it creates a new political arena. One where the image of a company is determined by more than the quality of its products, but also by its desire to create a better society. Because these companies pay into the election cycles it would be logical to expect they choose candidates that further the non-business aspects, which might as well be considered business aspects as happy workers are good for business.
Nestle CEO wants us to pay for water beyond 25 liters. It’s not that it doesn’t make sense, but then who decides how much money ther is to pay for water? The banks? They don’t make it! This is how banks grabbed power in our fossil fuel economy.
A debate amongst industry leaders already happens in Davos and at the Bilderberg meetings, but they are barely public, the Davos event is more like a press spectacle where people can rub up to the icons, in fact it is a mechanism to determin the hierarchy of importance. Davos is more a tool for the banking system to make people believe they can ascend if they obey. All these things go on while the voters in the US as well as those that can’t vote outside hope to get an opportunity to discriminate right from wrong. Even this blogpost is born out of a desire to judge and excert some influence in this world. Maybe CEOs explaining their views can actually be helpfull.
Big bosses chime in on the Brexit of the UK
Elon Musk wrote an open letter to the US recently to ask it not to punish VW with fines for it’s cheating on the emissions tests. Instead VW should roll out electric vehicles which would be a natural change aligned with their ambitions and would also reduce emissions. The US EPA took over this advise. This is an example of CEO power, perhaps because Elon’s SpaceX is so important for NASA’s space ambitions.
It used to be that you had to move from being a CEO to becoming a politician, but these days you don’t have to.