Corporate Influence on Democracy
🏛️Lewis Pal's 1971 memo, commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce, laid the groundwork for today's oligarchy by calling for Corporate America to seize power and use it aggressively without embarrassment.
💼The memo predicted the Judiciary, especially an activist-minded Supreme Court, would be the most important instrument for social, economic, and political change, leading to corporate-funded legal foundations with high success rates.
Education and Media Manipulation
📚Pal's warning about school textbooks being covertly rewritten led to an immediate flood of right-wing think tanks like the KO Institute and Federalist Society to combat perceived liberal bias.
📺The memo accurately predicted that media would prioritize clicks over clear information, focusing on sensational stories and controversies instead of careful discussions.
Academic and Political Influence
🎓Corporate America was urged to propagate pro-business sentiments in academia by sending speakers to promote Western intellectual heritage and combat multicultural or feminist curricula.
🔄The memo's influence led to a revolving door between Corporate America and Washington DC, consolidating wealth and power in the hands of business elites and creating the modern oligarchy.