Lean times are mean times, I don't blame you for the preoccupation one bit. =|

Don't you mean, "oligarhy"?

No. Oligarchy is rule by oligarchs. What's a "oligarhy"?

A> A Glen Beck misspelling.
http://politicalhumor.about.com/b/2.....sadventure.htm

B> An undeveloped website claiming to be "Exposing the framework meant to remake America".
http://oligarhy.com/

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defi.....?term=Oligarhy

You may mean 'Oligarchy' -

Oligarchy (from Greek ὀλιγαρχία, oligarkhía[1]) is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipe.....wiki/Oligarchy

or my personal favorite:Corporatocracy

Corporatocracy, in social theories that focus on conflicts and opposing interests within society, denotes a system of government that serves the interest of, and may be run by, corporations and involves ties between government and business.

Which I believe you (Karno) was one of the first to alert me to the possible coming Corporatocracy dictatorship. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipe.....Corporatocracy

Which I used personally in my TerraFUR framework :)

- Shado

America, the land where you are free to choose between simple medical needs, and shelter!

There's always bridges and overpasses, so shelter is easy. It's the food or medicine that's difficult.

The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread. - Anatole France (1844–1924)

It would be much preferable, of course if the law permitted the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread...

Who says they don't? It was a thrill-seeking fad for rich teens a few years ago, to play at being homeless.

There isn't much money to be made sleeping under bridges and the most I've ever heard anyone make in begging was about $23K/year, which isn't much for a 12-16 hour day.

This is nice, but it'd look even BETTER if Oligarchy was battling LADY LIBERTY!

Here she is: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/702938/

THAT would be REALLY fun to watch!

You might like Disturbed's version of the Genesis song, "Land of Confusion."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV4oYkIeGJc

I would say that could join the American Socialist party, but there are probably only two of them in Arizona.

Those are some damned high stakes, even for a cage match!

Corporate interests have been the single most-consistent domestic threat to our liberties.
Lincoln saw it coming, Roosevelt fought to dismantle it, Eisenhower warned of the mutation and adaptation of the beast. The move to declare corporations citizens failed in the nineteeth century, but succeeded in the 21st.
But Liberty is a resiliant shieldmaiden. The battle continues.

Of course the only reason the legal fiction of corporate personhood exists is because of unintended consequences of tax-law intended to discourage hoarding of wealth by individuals.

Perhaps in-part, but not entirely. The 19th Century efforts at oligarchy were pursued before taxation of the interior became enacted, after all. And the recent declaration that corporations are persons, was due to "conservative" judicial activism in the SCOTUS. Charging people a governmental levy for coming into enormous sums of money via inheritance seems petty and parasitic, but oligarchical ambitions will use any cover to advance, as will their natural opposites of ambitious collectivism.
The other edge of that citizenship sword, however, possesses promise. If corporations are indeed citizens, then they should be held accountable for those illegal acts they can be proven guilty of, just like any real person.

The documentary film The Corporation analyzed corporations' behavior as if they were actual people rather than a legal definition - and decided that the psychological term that best described them was 'sociopath'

http://www.sociopathworld.com/2009/.....rit-large.html

Which makes sense. A key factor in NOT being a Sociopath is Empathy, being able to consider a situation from another's perspective and determining, "Well, it would suck if that happened to me, so I just won't do that."

Corporations do not and can not have Empathy, so by their very nature any appeal to 'Ethics' or 'Morals' beyond pure self-preservation are ultimately useless.

While I have no stock in psychology, the parameters of the sociopathic personality are indeed personified by corporations. The Fiduciary Ruling in the 1930s established that corporations' sole duty is to themselves and their stock-holders. The rest of us technically do not matter, save as a source of exploitation.
This is even more a long-standing reverence of the institution over the people than you might realize. The Christian Church runs under pretty-much the same principals.

Careful there, A Person is not necessarily a Citizen. Fine dividing line but it stands to be considered.

I'd love to root for the underdog, but I'm pretty sure this match is fixed from the getgo.

Liberty always loses. : /

Two words: Egypt; Chile

Plus a bonus link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonviolent_revolution

I've been following that for a while. We'll see if it actually goes anywhere or the army finds a way to stay in the power position it has become used to; an organization that receives billions from us. Sure, Egypt over threw the Mubarak's government, but you can win a some impressive battles but still lose the war; all that matters is what comes of this.

Money is a constant pressure on laws and law makers- the proverbial water behind the dam. It will find cracks and exploit them. If there are no cracks it will make them. If it can't do that it will manufacture the idea that letting all the water out is the best for everyone. That damn is especially weak in a capitalist/free society where large corporations have the rights of citizens.

The problem with Capitalism is... Capitalism.

Specifically, the Capital Markets.

The basic idea was that you had Capital Markets working for the benefit of the Consumer Market. Capitalists bought and sold bits of companies which had the benefit of generating capital which could be used to produce more goods and services for the consumer to use. But somewhere along the line that got switched around, now shareholders compel companies to make shitty all in the name of ultimate short-term profit so they can sell their shares at a large gain. The Consumer market now services the Capital Market instead of the other way around.

Which sucks, but there was still some good in it, after all companies still were getting capital to produce things and stuff and hire workers to produce said things and stuff.. but now even that's gone away now that the Capital Markets have found a way to buy and sell bits of companies that exist for no other purpose but to... buy and sell bits of companies on the Capital Market. It's become a sort of closed-loop financial machine that can make economists tell us with a straight face that the economy is recovering and doing so very quickly and well even while unemployment continues to climb.

The biggest right-wing con is that 'deregulation' is the answer to the problems of the economy, that somehow these greedy sons-of-bitches will control their own behavior for the good of all society - when their only reason for existing is to maximize their own profits via whatever way they can get away with it.

In spite of all the oil spills, financial chicanery etc., the right still has the nerve to keep peddling this fairy tale. We need to keep a sharp eye on these bastards and make sure they play by the rules - our rules, not theirs.

They are half-right. Too much and too poorly implemented/enforced regulation can be very problematic, but casting-off regulation completely simply won't work because the modern corporate structure gives no incentive to consider anything but maximizing short-term profit.

You should had drawn the Oligarch slacking off in a chair while two minions fight for him against Liberty instead, oligarchs never fights their own battles, they always pay someone to do that for them >XD
I hope you´re doing better of your foot

They also propagandize us into fighting each other so we won't notice what they're up to. (ie, Fox News' 24/7 "Liberals hate you, liberals hate America" message.)

Amen. That stupidity has to end.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United states of America.
And to the democracy for which it stands:
One nation indivisible, with privileges, lawyers and police protection for all.

You what I like about living in these dark times? I can finally complain about corporations running the world into the ground without everybody looking at me like I'm a complete kook.

If the people could organize half as well as the corporations can and were willing to accept some sacrifices of convenience and leisure in exchange for the rights we traded for them, we could bend a few necessary organizations to our will where they should be and raze the rest of the empire they've built on our backs to the ground. Or maybe just to our backs, because getting razed probably hurts.

It's well-drawn, but I'm sorry that I just can't take that metaphor's argument seriously anymore. All political perspectives want to think that they're Liberty and their adversaries as the oligarchy. It's the new fascist/liberal dichotomy for the post-reconstruction, took-a-course-at-community-college-once-about-politics demographic.

I think oligarchy's going to win!