Forum Post: Major Industry and Government Racketeering: What Would Our Country Look Like Otherwise?
Posted 8 years ago on Dec. 5, 2015, 7:47 p.m. EST by turbocharger
(1756)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Automobiles: Everyone knows the gov protects them here, its why they get better gas mileage in Europe than here. If the innovators were allowed to innovate, we would be getting much much better, or maybe something different all together.
Fossil Fuels: Speaking of gas mileage, we all know Tesla already cracked the code centuries ago. But thanks to gov, all that stuff gets squashed. Imagine endless, clean and free energy. No more gas bills for your ride, no more light bills, etc.
Banking- Well, we know the story on that one, hence the site.
Food- Big ag gets subsidies, small guy gets fined. Think that messes up the market a bit? Frankenfishes coming to a market near you, and you'll never know because the Feds have made it impossible for locals to label.
Education- its basically a centralized mess that is more concerned with new ipads as opposed to creativity and innovation. End that nonsense and we will get creative schools back. Restore the arts, they are important, even though the gov doesnt think so.
Infrastructure- Its probably not fair to give government too much grief over the shit roads in my neighborhood when the people have asked them to solve basically every other problem in their lives on top of it, right?
Anything else?
It's actually capitalism that protects those corporate rights and benefits and that messes with things like our healthcare and education. It is capitalism that is controlling the government and not vice versa. Capitalists/corporations have bought the government and that is why the laws are in their favor. There is no way to stop this without making severe checks and balances on capitalism or installing a completely different economic system. In a free market the wealthy and corporations will always rise up and buy their power. It's inevitable.
History is ripe with examples of groups taking control of populations, regardless of the "ism".
I'm simply pointing out what would happen if innovators and entrepreneurs were allowed to operate freely.
As far as government goes, the people are simply incapable of voting responsibly right now. Thats a result of being spoiled rotten for a very long time. A result of incredible innovation that we were allowed to practice.
I disagree. If "innovators" and "entrepreneurs" were allowed to operate freely they'd own even more of the government than they do right now. And, sorry, but Americans aren't spoiled, 22% live in poverty, the average wage is a low $26,000 per year, 30 million still have no health insurance and those who do have high deductibles unless they work for, guess it? a big corporation, kids can barely afford to go to college, and debt is a means of survival. Government is not the problem, the greed that capitalism perpetuates and needs to feed it's exploitation is the problem.
Besides, is there anything more greedy than a politician?
Sorry BW, but I actually know people in teh solar industry who are legislated against by the government. I actually know people in the medical industry who are not allowed to open facilities because of government. People that have looked into opening a school and they have made it near impossible.
Innovation goes in cycles, you make a splash, you grow, and then you die. Here, you grow and grow and the government protects you and crushes your competitors.
Its the process of corruption in government that allows it to be bought like that, and its the people's fault for continuing down the same path all the time.
If we arent spoiled rotten, then why are we so fuckin dumb?
You are lumping people who are the worst society has to offer with people like me.
Crony capitalism is capitalism, that word crony doesn't change anything. The biggest and most wealthy will always rise to the top and they will always control the government, and hence, legislation. If a solar energy company was the biggest and richest, all the laws would point to benefit them. It's not corruption in the government, it's capitalism. Politicians take money in order to win and get power because there is no check and balance on capitalism to prevent that.
People could probably innovate much better if they didn't have these behemoth companies controlling all the legislation and if they didn't have to worry about how they would provide for their basic needs while doing so. Did you know Cuba has a vaccine for cancer?
If we don't face the real culprit here, we are never going to change things.
Pick an ism.
Democratic Social ism.
Otherwise knows as state socialism, not real socialism. Personally Im more a fan of Gars socialism than Bernies, but that is just me, Im very people/community oriented when it comes to structure.
Bernie points out countries like Denmark, Finland and Sweden as examples. All of those are great examples of the government giving out more fee stuff to people, which is all good and dandy, but they really don't come up with too much stuff, not really too innovative. And filled with companies that have bribed their way to profitability because the government sold the people out.
Just google "sweden oligarchs".
We have a choice. We can continue to fund the military or we can put that money toward things to make society better, to alleviate the anxiety most Americans feel about their own economic situations. Paying taxes merely to fund the MIC is ridiculous. That is the point Bernie Sanders is making. The money does exist to provide economic security to Americans. It's a lie to say it doesn't. And, a utopia doesn't exist and never will, but I know in my heart that we can do better here. And, sorry, but I'm not salivating for innovation like you are. I really couldn't give a darn about innovation, especially when it only benefit as few people because no one else can afford it. Economies have to work for all people, not just a few.