MEET THE CORPORATION.

The article presents information related to corporations in the U.S. Obtaining a corporate charter in Virginia--and most other states in the U.S.--is as easy as filling out a short form and paying a modest fee. Only if it planned to break the law would a company not receive a charter. Once chartered, corporations are granted a long list of benefits under state and federal law, including the ability to exist forever and the right to influence elections and shape legislation through campaign contributions. Meant to encourage investment in business ventures by ensuring that an individual's assets cannot be seized by creditors if a company fails, limited liability also insulates stockholders and directors, in most cases, from personal responsibility for the company's potential debts or even misdeeds. Obligations to workers, customers, the environment, or the communities in which a company operates generally take a backseat, if they are considered at all. Corporations' accumulation of unbridled power--and the way they often misuse it--has inspired myriad efforts to restrain them: boycotts, protests, lawsuits, legislation, and shareholder actions to change company policies from within. INSETS: THE RISE OF THE CORPORATE STATE;THE GREAT POWERS;SHAREHOLDERS AT THE WHEEL.