By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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Not Enough Taxation and Too Much Representation (AJAM)
Amy B. Dean says the trend of companies moving abroad is just the latest strategy in tax avoidance, part of a decades-long pattern. She argues that as companies further disconnect from American life by moving abroad, their influence on politics should be limited.
Given the long-term shift in corporate loyalties away from being invested in American communities, we should be moving in the opposite direction, taking action against corporations that have such a dominant role in our democracy. The ability to participate in democratic deliberations should be predicated on embracing the responsibilities of citizenship and being invested in the well-being of our communities. When it serves their interests, corporations like to be seen as Main Street institutions, deeply embedded in the fabric of American life. But as the inversion controversy shows, such hometown associations are only skin deep.
Roosevelt Take: On Next City, Roosevelt Institute | Campus Network National Director Joelle Gamble argued for a stakeholder model of corporate governance to force companies to pay more attention to local communities.
Follow below the fold for more.
This Edition: K. Sabeel Rahman, Four Freedoms Center (Eldridge & Co.)
Ronnie Eldridge speaks with Roosevelt Institute Fellow Sabeel Rahman about why democracy isn't working right now. He says public policy is mostly responding to the needs of the wealthy.
“Payment on an Unpaid Basis” (The Baffler)
Charles Davis looks at the entertainment industry's reliance on unpaid work. Many companies he called for comment responded by taking down unpaid listings, but that's not an efficient way to fight back.
Lies, Fear and Tragedy: Maria Fernandes and the Crisis of Part-Time Work (The Guardian)
The death of Maria Fernandes, a part-time employee at three different Dunkin' Donuts stores, highlights the crisis created by low-paying employers, writes Jana Kasperkevic.
Loan Fraud Inquiry Said to Focus on Used-Car Dealers (NYT)
Jessica Silver-Greenberg and Michael Corkery report on new investigations into fraudulent subprime auto loans. The loans are smaller, but could create the same problems as mortgages in 2008.
Make No Mistake: Eric Holder Chose Not to Jail the Bankers (Medium)
The Department of Justice had the power to send bank executives to jail, writes Alexis Goldstein, but chose a more passive approach instead of pushing through real change in the industry.
Voter Suppression: How Bad? (Pretty Bad) (TAP)
Wendy R. Weiser highlights the variety of new voting laws which will serve to suppress the vote in 2014, pointing at North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin as the most important states to watch.