David Korten's "When Corporations Rule The World"

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have become very powerful. "Corporations
have emerged as the dominant governance institutions on the planet, with the
largest among them reaching into virtually every country of the world and
exceeding most governments in size and power" (54). Prior to the Civil War,
owners were personally responsible for any liabilities or debts the company
incurred, including wages owed to workers. Early Americans feared corporations
as a threat to democracy and freedom. After the Civil War, owners and managers
of corporations pressed relentlessly to expand their powers, and the courts gave
them what they wanted. Perhaps the most important change occurred when the U.S.
Supreme Court granted corporations the full constitutional protections of
individual citizens. By the early 20th century, courts had limited the
liability of share holders; corporations had been given perpetual life times;
othe numb er of owners was no longer restricted; the capital they could control
was infinite. Some ...

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to absorb our wastes. One example of this is the amount of damage that
has done by acid rain. "At the global level, each year deserts encroach on
another 6 billion hectares of once productive land, the area covered by tropical
forests is reduced by 11 million hectares, there is a net loss of 26 billion
tons of soil from oxidation and erosion, and 1.5 billion hectares of prime
agricultural land are abandoned due to salinization form irrigation projects"
(28).
Two of the most important aspects of good health are in the abundance
of clean water and proper sanitation. "Countries with high income levels are
experiencing increases in rates of cancer, respiratory illness is, ...

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