4 ms·
Power in any form (government, church, big business) corrupts and power attracts corrupt people, yes. Thing is, power is incredibly resistant to egalitarian dis
by tormeh 12y ago
Power in any form (government, church, big business) corrupts and power attracts corrupt people, yes. Thing is, power is incredibly resistant to egalitarian distributions, so someone has to have it. We just have to make the best we can out of it, and the best is substantially much better than the US government.
- dnautics 12y agoeconomics is not a zero-sum operation, though, if two people exchange money for a service or good it is only because a person values the service or good more than the money, or vice versa. Moreover, in order to wield money as a form of power you have to be willing to give it away. This is not necessarily true of the other types of power.
- tormeh 12y agoThat's only true for small and medium business. If businesses become big enough, they practically speaking become part of the government except with private profits. Then there are monopolies and competitors who are a bit more coordinated than they should be. Big business' power is more limited but in return they get less oversight and a lot more independence. It evens out. There are many situations where corporations can take your money without permission. A monopoly in a sector you can't do without or a company willing to work the government are obvious examples. Far more insidious are companies who own media, as shown by Berlusconi, Greek oligarchs, Fox News et. al.