| From: | Christopher King <cking@********.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Submission : NERPS Guide to the World (fwd) |
| Date: | Wed, 16 Sep 1998 01:08:20 GMT |
> Actually, this brings me to a point I've been wondering
>about. Are there any corporations who have bought out a nation
>themselves? I know Aztechnology is basically thought of as having
>done that, but I mean real, literal buyouts here. For example, I
>forget which company it is, but a liquor company (I want to say Corona
>but I know that's wrong) bought an island in the caribbean and applied
>for UN status. Why wouldn't someone like Saeder Krupp do that, if
>only for a sovreign area where they could conduct illegal experiments
>in peace?
>
The best explanation for why mega-corps don't outright buy/takeover
countries I've seen was in one of the SR novels and it went something
like this:
"Corporations, especially Mega-Corps, exist for the purpose of making
a profit. Most countries are inherently non-profitable (especially the
ones that could be "bought"). Once a corp bought itself into the role
of government it picks up all the headaches associated with being a
government... picking up the trash, policing the civilians ('ne
employees), maintaining the infrastructure (roads, sewers, water/power
distribution, et al), and employeeing people to perform those jobs.
All of which are hideously non-profitable. The far more profitable
solution is to leave the government alone and use the
extra-territorial status to stay aloof of their laws. That way the
government collects the garbage and the corp sells services & products
to the government as well as the populace making money off of both. "
There was some reference to a pre-Mega-Corp near the turn of the
century taking over an island country and then being driven to near
bankruptcy & revolution because of it.
_-_
Chris King
cking@********.com
