What a progressive thinks about business, corporations, capitalism

[stevietheman]

What a Progressive Thinks about Business, Corporations, Capitalism
by Stevietheman (Steve Magruder)

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I'm not anti-business. I'm pro- ethical business. I'm pro-transparent business. I'm pro- earth-friendly business. I'm pro- small business. I love the excitement of running a business. I love providing products and services that customers want and need. I love making an honest return on my efforts. I love business.

I'm not anti-corporation. I'm against corporatism. I'm against big corporations getting favors from government at the expense of small business and individuals. I'm against unethical or environmentally destructive behavior by corporations. I'm against how some corporations undervalue career and professionalism. I'm against corporations shutting out organized labor. I'm against corporations that work against the best interests of their communities. I'm against short-term thinking in corporations at the expense of long-term viability and achievement. I'm against the legal fiction of corporate personhood. But I think corporations in and of themselves have great potential for incredible productivity and economies of scale, not to mention wealth creation. Corporations can be and are often good players.

I'm not anti-capitalism or anti- free market. I believe in a true free market, unencumbered by big corporate or government power that denies competition. I believe in a decentralized capitalist economy. I believe in transparent markets and honest accounting. I believe that monopoly power is easily abused and must be regulated. I don't believe in socialism, but I do believe in a basic safety net so that “losers” in the capitalist economy can spring back and participate yet again. I believe that robust public education and universal health care access are the foundations for a perpetually healthy capitalist economy. I think capitalism is great.