Corporate Social Responsibility Appeasers

Nick Nichols
Saturday, April 04, 2009

On February 3, 2009, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told a gathering of news media lapdogs that the House Financial Services Committee—Barney chairs the committee—would consider legislation to apply compensation restrictions to all financial institutions and that the salary restrictions might be extended to all U.S. companies. News reports indicated that Barney and his buddy Barack were working closely to craft the particulars of the bill.

Just a few weeks later, the beloved and munificent (with our money) Leader decided it was time to take a private sector scalp—the masses craved a sacrificial goat and he was going to deliver.

How about an AIG executive? No, that might be awkward since The Leader accepted $130,000 from AIG on his campaign collection plate in 2008. In fact, he and Sen. Chris Dodd ranked first and second on the AIG gravy train.

What about Ron Gettelfinger, the Grand Poobah at the United Auto Workers union? After all, many believe that Gettlefinger and his union brethren ransacked, pillaged and plundered the U.S. auto industry to the point of collapse. No, garroting Gettelfinger might prove disconcerting to the rank-and-file; wouldn’t want them to show up with pitchforks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So, in response to voter outrage over executive bonuses, The Leader decided to circle the wagons around Rick Wagoner, the CEO of General Motors. Never mind that Wagoner is (was) one of the few leaders in Detroit who actually made progress toward becoming more competitive in the global market. No matter, he was ceremoniously sacked by POTUS on March 29th in return for 60 days of gold supplied by the American taxpayer.

Four days later, on April Fools Day, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told CBS Evening News anchor, Katie Couric, that the administration would not rule out sacking other corporate CEOs. The timing could not have been better for a Geithner-Couric confab! Need I say more?

What is my point in regurgitating these recent attempts at destroying our free enterprise system, and turning the presidency into something akin to what Italy experienced under Mussolini?

For years now a small band of not-so-merry conservatives (yours truly among them) have been warning American business leaders to stop appeasing anti-corporate activist groups seeking to advance their socialist political agendas through the so-called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) movement. We were concerned that appeasement might embolden the socialists and enable them to take power.

Efforts to stop the corporate Neville Chamberlains from selling out to environmental and social activists were all too often sandbagged by company spin-doctors and insiders whose jobs depend on their firm’s continued homage to the gods of green and the lords of social justice. Their CSR mantra was “don’t worry, be happy . . . it’s all voluntary!”

Given all The Leader has done since Inauguration Day to disrupt, dismantle and degrade our free enterprise system, will Barack, Barney and their fellow travelers on Capitol Hill decide to make corporate socialism mandatory for American companies?

Consider this communiqué from the left-wing Planet 2025 NewsNetwork: “The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States on the platform of hope and change - as well as clean energy and green jobs and wealth distribution - has sparked optimism for the prospects of transitioning to a sustainable economy underpinned by corporate social responsibility (CSR).”

When the corporate Neville Chamberlains ultimately forfeit their salaries, bonuses and their jobs thanks to their spineless leadership and the anti-capitalism cabal that now inhabits wine and cheese bars in the District of Columbia, I hope to be around to ask this simple question: “So, how’s that hope and change working out for you?”