>>According to the Supreme Court, corporations are people.
>
>Picking a nit here. Corporations are not people, they are made up of groups of people. Citizens who choose to work for an incorporated entity do not abandon their rights simply because of their job. Just like those who are self-employed or work for non-incorporated entities.

Over here the incorporation act lets the entity be recognized as a person before the law and especially for our equivalent of the IRS.
Probably the same was meant ;-)

I often also think (and probably have posted this before) that I think a second [blancing/controlling] house,
which is very often found in western democracies, should be voted not on head count, representing state or aristrocracy
but on taxes payed - and the corporations votepart gets transferred to the owners.

Democracy grew fom such plutocratic/layered voting systems and always was in danger of concentrating
too much wealth and power in too few hands, giving at best rise to tribunus plebis.
But as the plebs grew more aware of their power, they often mostly voted themselves panem et circenses
and were substantial in Caesars toppling of the republic, which was cemented under Augustus.

So create a better system of checks and balances, add an element of who adds what to the state.
Company CEO's might want to keep lobbying if the trend of representatives is not curbed a bit as well,
especially if they can keep their high wages longer by influencing special legislation -
doing more than sending out letters to the owners urging them to vote a certain way must carry higher penalties.

Such a system might implement direct decisions of the voting bodies similar to the swiss tradition,
aiming to cut out as many of the middlemen on the politician and lobby side as possible ;-)

Politicians seem incapable of implementing harsh measures for their own voting body,
of which Germany in the current monetary crisis is a prime example as well - not even showing a balanced budget
even though interest is record low and taxes flow in previously never reached amounts.
But we are great dishing out advice to others... Even if the advice itself is solid

regards

thomas