Quote:
Originally Posted by Nebe
And to end my rant.. fueled by Dales Pale Ale..... We are all duped by the greatest of the big lies.. that YOUR party represents YOU.. BS... Both parties represent Corporations first and foremost. This country has never been more divided politically, which in my opinion has been created by corporate owned media ( cable news networks). We are so distracted by proving which party is better that the Corporations, the 1% and who ever is really pulling the strings are laughing themselves to the bank. 
Republicans and Democrats..are all bought and paid for. Corruption in the form of political donations and favors by lobbyists. 
burp. |
The growth in size and influence of corporations has been mirrored by that of the Federal government. They pretty much go hand in hand. It's difficult at times to know which drives who. But the ball mostly got rolling initially by government (with good intentions, of course). The rise of large corporations in the latter part of the 19th century was of two classes. There was the class of corporation that grew in size and wealth by competition. This was the class which was successful and had staying power. Members of this class were too successful for those whom it outclassed. They were mistakenly labeled "robber barons." The other class was fueled by government subsidy and regulation.
The so-called "robber barons" were not without fault, and benefited by some regulation, but they were mostly regulated against rather than for. They actually created the great surge of economic power which fueled America's rise as a force of world power. Their efforts had tremendous impact also on the rise in American's standard of living. But they were so well managed by sound economic principles and business innovation that it simply wasn't fair to others who couldn't keep up.
The other class of corporations needed government intervention on their behalf as well as government subsidies. Even with that they were not ultimately successful, and fell into the dust bin of forgotten history, except for some hangers on such as railroads which could not exist, as they are, without government subsidy. But that nexus between government and corporations, as well, eventually, between government and everything and everyone else, was maintained and flourishes now as crony capitalism and cradle to grave programs for everyone else (social and corporate welfare). Burton Folsom's book "The Myth of the Robber Barons" is a good read on the subject.
The "robber barons" were portrayed by journalists and activists of a social justice stripe as greedy self-serving rapists of society. In actuality, though they were sticklers for profit, they were generous to society not only in the wealth they created and spread, but as well by their private charitable contributions and foundations. They also funded libraries and educational institutions as well a many other things.
Being a freer country then, it was easier (though not easy) for entrepreneurs to create, compete, and contribute, than it is today. The connection with government is absolutely necessary to achieve the size and scope of the modern corporation. It may seem that corporations own the government, but government ultimately has the upper hand. The Federal Government has been loosed from its old constitutional limitations, and so long as it can convince the mass of voters that it acts in their interest, and that it will make those one percenters and the lesser "wealthy" pay "their fair share," it can wield too much power for corporations to do much other than lobby. So the pay-offs go both ways: corporations to government, and government favors (regulations/crony capitalism) to corporations. In the meantime, even though the government is supposedly working for the little guy, the income gap widens. One of those little details in the big picture that we should overlook. The big lie has it covered.
The system has evolved from a bottom up republic to a centralized top down fairly unitary State. The centralization of influence, economic and political, especially political, has grown and emerged into a symbiotic relationship. The so-called middle class is shrinking as power and money shifts to the top and those at the bottom are subsidized into dependence. As Spence would say, it has all become interwoven.
And we are told it is for our own good . No need to rant. That would be considered extreme. Enjoy your Dale's Pale. This is the best of all possible worlds. And if you see a crackpot Tea Partier passing by, give him the finger or throw the empty bottle in his direction.