Kos is not Tempting
Leading "progressive" blogger Markos Moulitsas is trying to tempt libertarians to the progressive cause. He tries to convince libertarians that growing corporate power should scare them more than government power. Uh, no. Hammer of Truth has a good rejoinder:
Moulitsas still cites corporate power over people as a problem, and
still fails to recognize that corporations gain their undue power from
government. Government is the enabler, empowering corporations to step
on individuals and small businesses through both regulations and
subsidies. It's only by restraining government that corporations can be
held in check, and it's unfortuate that Moulitsas hasn't figured this
out yet.
Nearly every government law, from anti-trust to trade law to licensing, generally is written to benefit incumbents who make campaign contributions against upstart competition. Also, by the way, corporations can't send people with guns to your house if you don't cooperate with their will.
I have in the past been at the executive level of several Fortune 50 companies, and this notion of corporate power is hilarious. In each case, our situation seemed like that of a wounded, lumbering elephant, trying to stay just ahead of a back of small but swift predators. Sure, our very size meant that sometimes we did damage from our thrashing around, but to somehow call this power is absurd. We were constantly fighting against our own size to try to hold on to what market we had.
Finally, with corporations, including the current great Satan Wal-Mart, I can always choose not to shop or work there. The IRS and the US Congress offer me no similar protection from their control.
More good stuff along the same lines from Catallarchy.
In this older post, I went into more depth on why progressives never will like capitalism, because they are too conservative (little-c). At the end of the day, progressives like Kos want to reduce risk, variability, unpredictability and general "messiness". These goals carry too high a price in terms of lost freedom and lost upside for humanity.
smilerz:
I blogged about a thought experiment that covers some of this ground. Essentially, tell a company: Wal-Mart, Target, whatever that you are unhappy with their service. Then tell city hall (road commission, school board, whatever) Compare the effort it takes to actually make the complaint and measure the response. I can tell you with 100% certianty which experience will be more pleasant.
October 5, 2006, 4:06 pm