1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

The whole Taylor Farms debacle is yet another prime example of why corporate political donations create conflicts of interest and should be illegal. Elected officials represent the people. Corporatons are NOT peiple, they are made up of people, and those people can donate as they please like any other people under the same rules. The point is that CORPORATONS are obligated to the interests of SHAREHOLDERS. GOVERNMENT is obligated to the interests of ALL people. When corporations support elected officials, those officials are in conflict and should not be making decisions regarding policies that effect their donors. Even the appearance of conflict is enough to make them untrustworthy regardless of whether or not they say they are impartial. Yet if one party accepts, they all must to be competitive. Corporate behavior in the modern era has proven that the "invisible hand of the market" fails to protect consumers. Corporations have found it cheaper to pay off the dead and injured in the end than to bear the cost of safety measures along the way. Paying government officials to look the other way, whether plainly quid pro quo or by dark money dealing, comes in very handy when profit is the highest and only goal.