The problem with "big business" is not, and never has been, that it is big. Big businesses tend to be far more efficient in certain areas that benefit from very

The problem with "big business" is not, and never has been, that it is big. Big businesses tend to be far more efficient in certain areas that benefit from very tight integration and efficient operations, such as retail (Walmart) or managing overseas suppliers (Apple). There is certainly a problem, and it is a huge problem - the fact that big businesses get special treatment from the government. Arguments over whether government has any business dealing with the economy in the first place aside, it is absurd on the face of it that we should give the biggest companies special advantages, allowing them to defeat competition on uneven ground. There is nothing wrong with a natural monopoly in an environment in which companies compete on even ground, because it is extremely fragile, particularly if the holder attempts to exploit it. The only reason monopolies or near-monopolies are a problem are because of government regulations which restrict competition (for a disgusting example of this, see the New York dairy licensing scheme). Anti-trust legislation wouldn't be necessary (if it is actually necessary) if it weren't for regulations that cause monopolies that a competitor can't attack. This central problem of special treatment is surrounded by a slew of other problems which both contribute to and are aggravated by it - bribery, buying political influence, the wedding of political parties to specific industries and companies, etc. Taxing big business won't solve the problem at all, and will probably only make it worse, as the corrupt businesses use their political cronies to avoid the tax, and the uncorrupt businesses go out of business because they can't afford to fight their competitors and the government. I may have unusual views on economics, but I think this should be immediately evident no matter your political bent (barring, of course ideologies such as communism - I use the term in the technical sense, not as polemic - which advocate state control of business). Stallman made some cool things a long time ago, and he has many valid points on other subjects, but he needs to talk about things that he actually has a clue about, and he needs to actually descend to the earth and engage in actual debate with his opponents, instead of screaming polemic over the top of them like a spoiled schoolboy. It's sad when a man capable of intelligently debating topics such as patents and copyrights refuses to do so and instead resorts to simply stating that he's right, which is Stallman's usual tactic.[1] He ends up seeming much more reasonable than he is most of the time, because his allies explain the rationale behind his ideas, but if you simply listen to him argue an opponent, you'd never hear it. Listening to him, it comes across as "I am right because I am Stallman and Stallman is right". (Personally, I think the government has no business touching the economy in the slightest, and should limit itself to the point where a simple head tax would suffice for its operation. This would require vast societal changes that few would agree with me on, so I don't intend to bring it into the argument - I think Stallman's idea falls flat regardless of whether you believe in an unfettered free market or not). [1] For example, see http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/your-criticisms-are-completely-wrong-stallman-on-software-patents/ http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/your-criticisms-a...