The document discusses how democracy has been influenced by corporations and money in politics. It notes that 147 corporations control 40% of global wealth, and that over half of the world's most powerful people attended just 11 schools. Lobbying and revolving doors between corporations and government result in less democratic decision making. The document questions whether democracy has become more of a pyramid system controlled by an elite corporate class.
1. The term originates from the Greek (dēmokratía) “rule of the
people”, which was coined from (dêmos) “people” and (kratos)
“power” (Wikipedia).
2. 43,000 Transnational corporations (TNC) among OECD
countries are controlled by 737 entities. Among this 737 TNC,
147 of them control 40% of the wealth. And finally among this
elite of 147, 50 are ‘bundled’ in a super-entity.
Study – The network of global corporate control
http://arxiv.org/abs/1107.5728
3. More than half of the 71 members of Forbes’ list of the
World’s Most Powerful People attended the same 11 schools.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidewalt/2012/12/05/power-
factories
4. ‘Lobbyism & revolving door result in a loss of
democracy in decision-making’ (Alter-Eu) – (charts
from OpenSecrets)
http://www.opensecrets.org
http://www.alter-eu.org
5. Top #1 world spending are for military purposes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_military_expenditures
(Eradicate hunger worldwide may cost up to $30 Bn.)
6. Top #2 world spending are for advertising purposes
http://www.crowdscience.com/2011/09/show-me-the-stats-global-
advertising-market-size-in-2011
(Eradicate hunger worldwide may cost up to $30 Bn.)
7. States budgets V Companies profits: top TNC (mainly oil & finance) are
bigger than lots of countries.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_government_budgets_by_country
http://www.forbes.com/global2000
8. ‘The Supreme Court has given corporations the same rights, with
regard to free speech, that we have as a citizen’
http://backstabberreport.com/5-supreme-court-justices-backstab-american-
citizens-with-corporation-campaign-finance-law
9. Is democracy a pyramid? Is that what you feel inside? Really?
http://rwer.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/the-global-wealth-pyramid
11. He described corporatocracy as a collective composed of corporations,
banks, and governments. This collective is known as what author C Wright
Mills would call the Power Elite. The Power Elite are wealthy individuals who
hold prominent positions in Corporatocracies. These individuals control the
process of determining society's economic and political policies (Wikipedia)
