Given ubiquitous & inevitable greed and deception, would you prefer big government or big business?
What do you find most threatening? Big corporations operating on greed and deception? Or big government doing the same?
Big Business, no question.
Government deception is a far worse crime. Business is ultimately controlled buy buyers and they can freely say no. They also don't make the laws (usually). One is a rather large group which checks on each other (in the US). The other can be run by any crazy person.
The federal government should be constrained by the enumerated powers in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This would, by default, keep it from becoming a big government. That being said, we have not had that for decades, from either Party.
Big business run by capitalism is the best course of action. But, should not be confused with corporatism.
That is a tough decision to make. If forced to decide, I would prefer big government for this reason. I believe big government and corruption therein is a result of big business. If the bribes and the incentives to cheat, lie and steal - as well as the temptation for insider trader - were removed via the shrinkage of big business and the return of small business, maybe government would have less incentive - or opportunity - to grow as big and as corrupt as it does and as it has.
Good point. Hadn't thought of your perspective. But it would be a weak government indeed that succumbed to the seductions of big business. What we need are statesmen, not politicians.
big business - because this would never deny me life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness.
government on the other hand would be exactly what we have today - too expensive, too corrupt, too intrusive, and too socialist.
I totally agree with today's government being "too expensive, too corrupt, too intrusive and too socialist." Our forefathers believed in a smaller government less involved in the details of our lives.
There is evidence to the contrary. Look up the city-state of Amalfi (pre 1000 AD), the Hanseatic League (1200 AD), the East India Trading Company (both the English and the Dutch), Royal Shell's control of Nigeria, and last, but not least, Monsanto.
This is where we need to differentiate between Capitalism & Corporatism. There's a difference & it's important. Corporatism, which Monsato is 1 of 1000s under this label, is not good, but Capitalism is. Corporatism is a govt/business blend.
Good point, Mitch. Most anything good can be used in a wrong way---including capitalism.
Government. As Thomas Jefferson wrote, "There is nothing wrong with a little Revolution."
While, I believe that this would apply to 'big business', I do believe that the nature of it being a 'business', would lead some to believe that it still operated as a private entity, even when it had total unchecked power in their lives. Thus weakening the resolve to resist, and eroding means of resistance.
Simply put, if the Government is Tyrannical, we might be inclined to realize this, change it, or overthrow it. If a business is Tyrannical, we might say, "That is there right, and we can have no say."
Read about the Hanseatic League in the 14th Century AD. They operating in much the way as a state entity for multitudes of North Germanic city-states. Those city-states had 'government', but the true vestment of power was in the Guild, which was so powerful that it was literally above the law in many of the cities it operated in. (Imagine diplomatic immunity for CEOs)
Seeing as how they are both one in the same in our current situation this is an impossible question to answer. Corporations have been given the same rights as people by the court. Lobbyists have bought and paid for the entire government as it stands. Those who believe big businesses don't harm your freedoms haven't experienced being a small business owner in the current environment or haven't been paying attention to what is going on. Medicines that don't cure and keep people chronically ill for profit, Monsanto's "Frankenfood" that is in nearly 90% of our food products, the evils of WalMart who won't pay their staff enough so those workers end up on public assistance on the taxpayers dime. That's just a drop in the bucket. I'd could go on and on about the corporations that dodge taxes while making record profits. I'd prefer a govt that is truly "of, by and for the people", but that has been done away with and is now run by corporate interests.
The difference between capitalism (good) and corporatism (bad) is misunderstood by most. The lack of knowledge concerning the Constitution, the enumerated powers and the 10th Amendment are a huge problem. Well said.
big business has never hurt me. I am much smarter than that. I don't shop at WalMart. I don't eat food that has additives. The best tax plan is 1% on every commercial transaction. WHEN all pay - all support - all are equal.
well as long as it doesn't affect you personally that's all that matters right? What about the people who can't afford to shop other places after Walmart kills the competition? If you eat grain you eat GMO's in this country give me a break.
Primarily, Big Business has never had a chance to hurt you because of various civil groups, probably including your government. Amalfi, the Hanse, East India Trade Co, Dutch Royal Shell, Monsanto. The list goes on.
Great point, Christin. They are both in cohoots with each other, and people don't even realize this. Pharmaceuticals, Monsanto, etc. (big businesses) are killing us, and big government is killing our pocketbooks. They do it together to have gains.
I understand that big business is often in cahoots with the gov. However business still compete against each other (Home Depot vs.Lowes). Would tht not provide some check on the greed and deceptiveness? Who is there to compete with big government?
There is greed and deception at all levels, from the poorest to the richest. Business is the conduit---not the source, God is the source---with which we have the standard of living that we have. Business has contributed greatly to this country; the computer I'm using now is an example. No country in history has accomplished as much as the United States of America, and the conduit used was free enterprise.
Having said that, it is big government I find more threatening. Here is an analogy: If greed and deception is a ferocious lion. Would you rather be in a cage with him, or free to run. Government has the power to cage us and do as it pleases, but we can run from a corrupt business.
As you know, Liftandsoar, it is not big government or business that is the problem. Any nation that becomes lukewarm to God's commandments through Jesus Christ, and sins as naturally as breathing will go into tyranny and poverty. It is poverty and tyranny for which we willing vote. God blessed this once magnificent nation with free enterprise, but He will curse it because it is no longer "One Nation under God." Thomas Jefferson said, "Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the boisterous sea of liberty," and it is timid men who demand largess that is coerced from those who earn it and given to those who did not earn it.
by Brian Middleton 11 years ago
What are your thoughts on this image?Honest opinions and please to fighting guys.
by FitnezzJim 12 years ago
Has our government become a system "of the nuts, by the nuts, and for the nuts"?Given the overbearing power of extreme left wing and right wing voices, and the way we choose sides before we have facts in hand and engage in rational thought on any given question, has our US representative...
by Sooner28 10 years ago
http://abcnews.go.com/US/eleven-stores- … b9Q0vmUQ4pThis is what would happen without regulation of business (whether in an anarchist society by exile or completely shutting down something like this), or in a democracy (where the government steps in and regulates). 7-11 was able to run...
by mintinfo 10 years ago
What makes you a Conservative or a Liberal?Did you make a choice based on your personal world views and ideals or did you follow the opinions of others based on race, culture, family or friends?
by Credence2 7 years ago
Globalism? It is as insane as folks talking about any other people besides Earth People. Are there any other kind of people?All you endless proponents of the virtues of free market, this is for you, and you know who you are... When I listen to a certain candidate promise that he would punish...
by SparklingJewel 13 years ago
By Wayne Allyn Root, June 6th, 2010 Barack Obama is no fool. He is not...
Copyright © 2024 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2024 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |