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it's more like both are made up of individuals with high self-interest. The difference is you can choose not to interact with a private firm.
by beaconstudios 8y ago
it's more like both are made up of individuals with high self-interest. The difference is you can choose not to interact with a private firm.
- minikites 8y agoI thought about this in the wake of the BP Deepwater oil spill. How exactly can I choose to avoid interacting with any company that produces a fungible commodity (e.g BP, Archer Daniels Midland, Monsanto)? I can stop visiting BP branded gas stations but that has nothing to do with where the oil/gasoline actually comes from.
- beaconstudios 8y agoI agree, that's an issue. Or if you wanted to stop funding exploitative mining but still wanted to own electronics, you might have a hard time. But I prefer the "you can often avoid interacting with them" option of private companies, to the "you cannot avoid them and are entirely at the mercy of their whims" option of government. Not to say government isn't necessary - it is. But I don't understand why people treat it as virtuous, especially when those same people will express distrust in politicians. I suppose it's because government is the only way to legitimately force one's will on others.
- isostatic 8y agoI prefer the ability to get rid of a government by voting elsewhere.