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I found this great article on Zite yesterday and it really reinforces many of my concerns about the way government and crony capitalism is destroying the free market.
It's too late to do anything about it. It is so ingrained into politics it is in severable. Politicians are getting rich along side the cronies, they will NEVER stop it and a lonely voice on the hill will just be silenced. They only way to stop is through revolution of some sort. The current revolution the Progressives are staging is only making it worse.
I think if more people voted with their dollars as in the BB&T anecdote, their might be at least some slight chance of change.
Quote:
In 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in Kelo v. New London, that local governments could use the power of eminent domain to take land from owners and transfer it to private companies. The ruling infuriated believers in property rights and critics of cronyism. Amid the public outcry, Allison announced that his bank, BB&T, would not finance commercial real estate deals that involved eminent domain takings.
This would seem to violate Milton Friedman's rules for corporations. "I wonder whether this stance would be found compatible with management's fiduciary duties to shareholders," wrote McGill political theory professor Jacob T. Levy at the time, "if it meant that potentially profitable loans were being ruled out because their objects, while legal, were 'just plain wrong.' "
Allison says he didn't know how the decision would affect the bank's bottom line. "The pleasant surprise is, we had thousands of individuals move their checking accounts to BB&T.... They said, look, I want to do business with a bank that acts on principle."
We all know shaming politicians won't work, the actually have no sense of shame to begin with, but shaming corporations who openly collude with the government and rewarding those that don't may have an effect. Heck, if voting with our dollars could roll back New Coke and get Netflix to change their pricing model, its at least worth a try.
I think if more people voted with their dollars as in the BB&T anecdote, their might be at least some slight chance of change.
We all know shaming politicians won't work, the actually have no sense of shame to begin with, but shaming corporations who openly collude with the government and rewarding those that don't may have an effect. Heck, if voting with our dollars could roll back New Coke and get Netflix to change their pricing model, its at least worth a try.
There are too many people who support these very politicians. They are so blinded as they wait for the promises to be fulfilled. Crony capitalism is an example of why the big business support Obama.
There are too many people who support these very politicians. They are so blinded as they wait for the promises to be fulfilled. Crony capitalism is an example of why the big business support Obama.
I think we need to take off our partisan blinders and admit that both sides are selling out the American people. Until we can do that, not much is going to change.
I found this great article on Zite yesterday and it really reinforces many of my concerns about the way government and crony capitalism is destroying the free market.
As others have already stated, it may be too late now to stop the cronies. Corporate profits are booming, therefore their interest and political sway in politics is booming as well, but can you blame them for writing their own laws that are in their favor? Not really, as a business your main objective is to stump out competition, remain solvent, and your dream although it may not be legal, is to be a monopoly. What can be done to stop this? Well I'd propose a entirely new amendment, that makes corporations and even small business have no power or political sway in politics. If a politician accepts money from any company or even gifts that have strings attached, there is a automatic jail sentence. Of course suggestions by corporations would still be allowed, but handing a check over and saying create this legislation wouldn't be legal.
As others have already stated, it may be too late now to stop the cronies. Corporate profits are booming, therefore their interest and political sway in politics is booming as well, but can you blame them for writing their own laws that are in their favor? Not really, as a business your main objective is to stump out competition, remain solvent, and your dream although it may not be legal, is to be a monopoly. What can be done to stop this? Well I'd propose a entirely new amendment, that makes corporations and even small business have no power or political sway in politics. If a politician accepts money from any company or even gifts that have strings attached, there is a automatic jail sentence. Of course suggestions by corporations would still be allowed, but handing a check over and saying create this legislation wouldn't be legal.
If we just accept the system can't be fixed and do nothing, than what's left of the free market will die and all we will have is corporate feudalism, which was the system the founding fathers wanted to get away from in the first place. We won't be free Americans, we will be serfs, and instead of King George, it will be King Monsanto and Queen GE.
If we just accept the system can't be fixed and do nothing, than what's left of the free market will die and all we will have is corporate feudalism, which was the system the founding fathers wanted to get away from in the first place. We won't be free Americans, we will be serfs, and instead of King George, it will be King Monsanto and Queen GE.
In other words plutocracy; and it seems as if we're shifting towards that realm as quickly as we can. The people are beginning to believe that the laws and regulations that are being made today are beneficial for them but in reality it could just be a new loophole for a corporation to use to further exploit the populace. It's an unfortunate reality, but as I said my thread about capitalism, money outweighs the interest of the people. If we, the people could raise enough to cash, we could afford to have real candidates and politicans as opposed to corporate puppets.
In other words plutocracy; and it seems as if we're shifting towards that realm as quickly as we can. The people are beginning to believe that the laws and regulations that are being made today are beneficial for them but in reality it could just be a new loophole for a corporation to use to further exploit the populace. It's an unfortunate reality, but as I said my thread about capitalism, money outweighs the interest of the people. If we, the people could raise enough to cash, we could afford to have real candidates and politicans as opposed to corporate puppets.
I think people collectively do have enough cash to do so, its just many are so blinded by partisanship. "We need to vote against those commie democrats" or "we need to keep those greedy Republicans out of office."
That's why I like the approach mentioned in the article using "corporate shaming" to get corporations withdraw some of their more outlandish influence from the government. I can only go to a voting booth once a year, I can vote with my dollar every day.
How can you "destroy" what never existed. Read up on John D Rockefeller. And the antitrust laws, why there were passed.
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