Vladimir Lenin wrote that imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism. I think he was half right.

Corporate imperialism is the highest stage of capitalism.

The American government hasn’t spread its collective will around the world, but American corporations have. Walking through Saudi Arabia, you won’t find any great beacons of democracy, but you will find Coca-Cola.

The existence of American culture around the world is not a new phenomenon. People have discussed its repercussions at great length.

What hasn’t been discussed is the final stage of American capitalism. Under the American-style liberal market economy, corporations are king.

The dominance of large corporations in American government has led to trade policies that have been pro-corporation rather than pro-worker.

The North American Free Trade Agreement was signed in 1992. Many blame this agreement for the flight of large companies, such as General Motors to Mexico.

I don’t blame NAFTA for the flight. I blame the greed inherent in the market system. Granted, NAFTA sped up the process for this capital flight, but it is not the root of the problem.

Under the American market system, companies must do everything they can to maximize profit. One of the easiest ways to do so is to find the cheapest labor. NAFTA made Mexico the most desirous locale for this. If NAFTA hadn’t occurred, companies would have found some other place to go (see also: China, Bangladesh).

The ultimate result of such a system is the eventual evaporation of all manufacturing bases in the United States. We all know of the catastrophic results corporate flight had in places like Flint, Mich., and Galesburg, Ill.

In North Canton, Ohio, near my hometown, employees of the Hoover Company are worrying they might lose their jobs. Maytag, Hoover’s parent company, is responsible for moving the aforementioned Galesburg plant to Mexico, to the tune of 1,600 jobs.

If the same thing were to happen in North Canton, the social and economic catastrophe would destroy the community.

The common argument is that America is becoming a service and information economy. The question is: Can a country sustain its economy without a strong manufacturing base?

No other country in the history of the world has reached this critical point in capitalism. The United States is involved in an ongoing experiment. Will we persevere, or will the bottom fall out?

I believe, at some point, the bottom will fall out. I’m not an economist, I’m a reporter, so take my analysis for what it’s worth.

But when people who are used to assembling cars for $20 an hour are suddenly stripped from their jobs for a Mexican who will do it for 20 cents an hour, things go haywire.

In an effort to increase their profits, companies are throwing Americans out of work – Americans who can no longer buy their products. Everyone knows where this downward spiral leads.

No nation has ever prospered without strong manufacturing, and I don’t think America will be an exception. It is a nation of workers; technology cannot sustain our population.

American people will only take so much before they revolt against the system. Americans are getting fed up with losing their jobs so executives can line their coffers. I believe there will be a backlash sooner than many think, and it’s going to be ugly.

I don’t think America is going to become a communist society, nor do I want it to be. Communism is utopian and cannot work in the real world.

The system needs to have stricter rules and boundaries to ensure strong manufacturing in America. This country needs a government that is more concerned with Main Street than Wall Street. Until we get this, I say, “Workers of the world, unite!”

Erik Johns is a senior in journalism, and is not a communist.