Comments on: Big Business or Big Government? http://www.pointbite.com/2008/09/20/big-business-or-big-government/ pointbite.com Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:20:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: point http://www.pointbite.com/2008/09/20/big-business-or-big-government/comment-page-1/#comment-2125 point Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:03:15 +0000 http://www.pointbite.com/?p=198#comment-2125 Thanks for the explanation, of course I disagree that governments are more accountable... In fact, I would argue the exact opposite -- the fact people believe they are more accountable is the reason they are able to get away with so much corruption, you should never have faith in a crook. Democracy doesn't work unless people restrain the government -- the government has even less incentive to self-regulate than business... most people just don't know or care what's really going on. Every once in a while a major crisis like the great depression or world war 2 will wake everyone up for a few years (or weeks?) but that never lasts. I am still in favor of de-centralizing the power. Thanks for the explanation, of course I disagree that governments are more accountable… In fact, I would argue the exact opposite — the fact people believe they are more accountable is the reason they are able to get away with so much corruption, you should never have faith in a crook. Democracy doesn’t work unless people restrain the government — the government has even less incentive to self-regulate than business… most people just don’t know or care what’s really going on. Every once in a while a major crisis like the great depression or world war 2 will wake everyone up for a few years (or weeks?) but that never lasts. I am still in favor of de-centralizing the power.

]]> By: phil jones http://www.pointbite.com/2008/09/20/big-business-or-big-government/comment-page-1/#comment-2123 phil jones Tue, 30 Sep 2008 01:43:13 +0000 http://www.pointbite.com/?p=198#comment-2123 Obviously the main reason that liberals support government is that they believe that there is a system of accountability in government (namely elections) that doesn't exist for big corporations. True, corporations have responsibilities to their shareholders. But shareholding isn't distributed equally across the whole population the way that votes are. Of course, liberals may be *wrong* about government and elections. Perhaps elections don't really work to make governments accountable at all. Perhaps corruption is too endemic. Perhaps elections are simply too infrequent to give the electorate significant control. Perhaps the result is too biased by TV advertising. But if you want to *understand* why liberals are happier with centralizing power in government than corporations, *that*'s the reason : ostensibly there's a mechanism for a "fairer", more egalitarian distribution of accountability. Obviously the main reason that liberals support government is that they believe that there is a system of accountability in government (namely elections) that doesn’t exist for big corporations.

True, corporations have responsibilities to their shareholders. But shareholding isn’t distributed equally across the whole population the way that votes are.

Of course, liberals may be *wrong* about government and elections. Perhaps elections don’t really work to make governments accountable at all. Perhaps corruption is too endemic. Perhaps elections are simply too infrequent to give the electorate significant control. Perhaps the result is too biased by TV advertising.

But if you want to *understand* why liberals are happier with centralizing power in government than corporations, *that*’s the reason : ostensibly there’s a mechanism for a “fairer”, more egalitarian distribution of accountability.

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