printMyron Pauli sends along an interesting series of Venn diagrams, reflecting the intersection between The DC Beast and Big Business, and purporting to “show how corrupted American ‘democracy’ really is.”
Registering his disgust, Myron writes this (with his usual flare):
“While the American Booboisie gets distracted with this ‘election,’ where the grandson of a polygamist
debates the son of a polygamist on ‘gay marriage,’ as the Welfare-Warfare-Deficit-Jail State
goes on – 800,000 arrested for marijuana last year – hundreds wounded or maimed in Afpakistan,
trillions of new debt and malinvestment, television cameras proliferating everywhere to catch
American citizens (e.g. ‘criminals’) violating an ever increasing list of ‘crimes’ ….”
Agreed, except that companies don’t have much option. Without buying and paying for a plant to do their bidding within the State apparatus, they are doomed to be investigated and prosecuted non-stop by the government’s alphabet soup of regulatory agencies; the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Securities and Exchange Commission, on and on. Business gets dragged into court every other day and sued. By necessity, entire departments and budgets within corporate America are given over to lobbying and pacifying The Beast.
“When Bill Gates neglected to schmooze Washington, Joe Klein, the Justice Department’s top dog, picked up the scent and gave chase. The lesson being that if he wants to survive, the entrepreneur must also pay protection money to his political masters.” (“CONGRESSIONAL CHURLS TROLL FOR VOTES”)
Our “overlords who art in DC” “are the ones who force the entrepreneur to replace viable, voluntary trades and transactions with bureaucratic, politicized decision making. Rather than concentrate on satisfying consumers, proprietors must divert resources from innovation and production into getting around the bureaucrat’s tax and regulatory laws.”
Downsize the state, strip it of its police-state powers—and business will shape-up. Capitalism is moral if practiced. We do no longer practice it.
UPDATE: Yes, Myron, why can’t I get this URL to work? I found another valid hyperlink for “18 Venn diagrams showing how corrupted American ‘democracy’ really is.“
I concur: the state twists everything, like a black hole bends light. I’m even willing to debate whether capitalism is moral when practiced – but the point is we’re being denied the chance to find out. Meanwhile, we have hard evidence that statism ISN’T moral when practiced. And that’s supposed to be OK.
As usual Mr Pauli’s comments are spot on. Great stuff. Myron, I want to be just like you when I grow up.
Gotta love Myron Pauli. But the link is not presently operable.
The link came from the wife of a fellow MIT grad student – and while I’m on the “right” and she’s on the “left” – we’re both concerned about the unlimited reach of the government. I sent her this link on civil liberties from Nat Hentoff (who has come out against Obama on wnd.com), not generally considered a “rightwinger” and she sent me the Corporatist Revolving Door Venn diagrams in return:
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/hentoff051612.php3
Sort of a Ron Paul meets Dennis Kucinich moment of sorts – but then we have the Republicrat vs. Demoplicans just obsessing on cultural nitpicks while we slide into bankruptcy – economic and moral.
Capitalism – that is, VOLUNTARY economic exchanges, is moral and beneficial. Sadly, just as copper quarters drive out silver quarters from circulation, subsidized pseudo-fascist “companies” drive out honest business. Why COMPETE when you can outlaw your competitors, get subsidized, get “ethanol mandates”, solar cell tariffs, and the like???
And once you have tasted the cocaine of fascism, companies have as much problem giving up the power as private individuals have of giving up the heroin of socialist welfare. I’ll quote Jefferson:
“I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
The link I have worked this morning:
http://endthelie.com/2012/04/18/18-venn-diagrams-showing-how-corrupted-american-democracy-really-is/#axzz1vwEEQwNi
Says somthing about our Messianic “man of the people” fighting for the 99% against that evil 1% …
The bottom line is that our “elections” are the 21st Century equivalent of Gladiator fights in the Colliseum – just entertainment for the Booboisie – will Romney carry Florida or Obama carry Wisconsin – doesn’t matter because the Wars go on and Goldman Sachs wins either way!
It is striking despite public perception how a majority of Dems (Dems do the heavy lifting, Rep fall in line) are tied to Big Biz & to add on to MyRon’s comment the Wars go on because Big Establishment Biz profits/wins with the defacto control of both sides of the political spectrum !