Bill 4596 requiring a code of ethics for American corporations doing business abroad was introduced in the U.S. Congress 22 years ago by former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. The proposed law required corporations to treat employees fairly, and to protect human rights and the environment in foreign countries. The bill floundered in Washington’s special-interest funded leviathan.

Fast forward 20 years, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Harvard law professor and 2020 presidential candidate, advocated for similar changes in the standards for operating America’s corporations. She maintained that corporate entities should do more than exist to advance the interests of wealthy Americans when she introduced the Accountable Capitalism Act (ACA) in 2018. Her bill also went nowhere in a Congress dominated by wealthy people.

Gallup polls report approximately 56 percent of Americans own stock, but that much of it is held in retirement plans. Ownership is disproportionately distributed in America as 10 percent of the population hold approximately 90 percent of all stocks.

The reforms advocated by Warren and McKinney of requiring corporations to act with a conscience strike at the heart of capitalist philosophy. The ongoing standard has been that corporations exist solely to benefit their owners (stockholders). The prevailing theory being that government can regulate corporate actions and that leaving them free to act without mandated ethical boundaries enhances their potential for success.

Contemplate this capitalist philosophy with the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that corporations and other entities have First Amendment rights that cannot be restricted in donating to politicians and political media campaigns. The 5-4 decision has already revealed itself as being one of the greatest logical blunders in judicial history.

Corporations are not individuals, and allowing them unrestricted financial influence upon legislators while not having an applicable ethical code in place invites disaster on many fronts. Our nation was already rife with 40,000 toxic Superfund sites primarily created by corporations if anyone requires proof on that score.

Shocking amounts of corporate and individual wealth have poured into American politics since that infamous decision was rendered. What chance exists for environmental protection and economic fairness from a government run by politicians who ride to Washington, D.C., on carpets made from special interest greenbacks?

I’m not anti-capitalist, nor am I anti-business. I have visited countries with virtually all forms of government/business models, and generally find that capitalism (with proper regulation and fair taxation) is the most productive system.

However, unregulated capitalism ensures that some corporations will abuse humans and the environment. Balance is needed, and the imposition of a base corporate code of ethics would be a good start.

Many corporations appreciate the need to be “good citizens,” but history compels the conclusion that we can’t rely upon voluntary benefaction to protect society and the environment.

America and the world need a quantum shift in focus if we are to solve the humanistic and environmental problems plaguing our planet. That shift won’t occur if we maintain a system where unfettered money elects our government officials, and businesses are allowed to continue operating globally without ethical mandates.

Pete Buttigieg, in the last presidential campaign, argued for adoption of a constitutional amendment to rid America of the dark influence wrought by the Citizens United decision. He is right on that score. While doing so, America should tweak its corporate codes to require national and global accountability as part and parcel of the corporate mission.

The world needs inspired leadership from government and corporations if we are to change the present trajectory that is crippling our planet’s ability to sustain life. America is still a significant player on the world stage — why not set an example by embracing ethics and long-term vision over our inherently corrupting worship of the almighty dollar?

Jesse Robison is a Pocatello native educated in Idaho. He works as a mediator and insurance claim consultant, but his passion is public art. Robison has spearheaded art improvements throughout Pocatello, including the Kizuna Garden located at the Pocatello airport, and serves on the Bistline Foundation.