Topic: Economics
Who's to Blame for Corporate Fascism? It could be You Certain people have been led to believe that the market businessmen have been destroying American ideals and freedoms during the past century. This is not the reason at all.by Nickalis N. Tower
(libertarian)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
With regard to the 'financial crisis' of 2008, I whole-heartedly agree with Jim Quinn's premise (from his thorough article 'Turkeys can't fly'), "Government is not the solution. It is the problem."
But Mr. Quinn seems content to think 'corporate fascism' is to blame for America's economic woes. While it is true, corporate fascism in America did not spring up fully formed without a prior cause. To think it did (and to blame it on greed) is mistaken. The sad fact is that a common reader might believe that it is the free market and market businessmen who have been destroying American ideals and freedoms during the past century. This is not the reason at all.
First of all, a market businessman is a person who runs a company without asking for government subsidies, franchises, monopolies, nor favors, nor increased regulations over his competitors. Most importantly of all a market businessman doesn't drain, loot, or harm his customers. A political businessman is one who does use the government in such a manner. An excellent overview of the difference is given at Robert L. Bradley Jr.'s website 'Political Capitalism'.
It is true that corporate fascism has been 'progressive'ly ruining our country for at least 95 years, beginning with the American Fabians of the late 1800s, and their creation of the Federal Reserve and IRS around 1913. But the definition of fascism is such that the government runs the economy, while private title to property is maintained. It is inexact and unhelpful to blame a nebulous, undefined "corporate elite" for America's growing fascist state. To be exact, blame does rest with corporate elites who are political businessmen, but they're only partly to blame. Partial blame must also be placed with the political bureaucrats (arrogating to themselves the title of technocrats) who solely have the legal power of the government gun to force the corporate market to do their bidding (after all, a corporation is a legal entity born of government blessing).
But does the blame lie entirely with the corporate and political elites? To use a metaphor from farming: if the soil isn't fertile, nothing can grow. To merely blame and rail against the corporate and political elites is to fail to recognize that it is certain vocal commoners (who claim to be victims) that form the fertile soil from which fascist schemes can take hold and arise. In other words, if you are a regular person who blames corporate and political elites for America's fascist political / economic environment, then you must first blame any regular American who provides the (false) intellectual ammunition the fascists use to seize control of the economy.
Who are the Americans that provide the intellectual ammunition to fascist dreamers? Ayn Rand's character, Francisco D'Anconia, identified them: "Run for your life from anyone who tells you that money is the root of all evil." That is a warning of an approaching looter who is willing to ask the government to drain, harm, or otherwise loot you for his benefit.
I recommend people read 'Liberal Fascism' so they can gain three critical understandings: 1) The history of the American left and its relationship to fascism, 2) That corporate and political elites have been increasingly attempting to engineer society and individual behavior to suit their own pocketbooks and morals (via secular or theocratic fascist schemes), 3) That to withdraw power from fascist schemes, you must first understand them, lambast them at every opportunity, and stop aiding and abetting the fascists by asking the government for handouts and raiding the corporations via unjust lawsuits and extortions.
I mentioned in an earlier article that people must stop envying creative people if America is to have a brighter future. The same applies to envying successful, happy, and beautiful people -- to the degree each of us harbors envy, we must extirpate it from our own souls. The bottom line is envy is the motive of common people demanding money from and threatening to kill the successful. The problem is that those threatened elites will simply justify the withdrawal of their capital (money) from the economy, and also use the American government (via lobbying) to gain more control over the common person's life and freedom of action. In other words: envious pipsqueaks make liberal fascism in America possible.
The elite / capitalist response to socialist / communist demands in the 30s led to Roosevelt's New Deal to placate them and avoid a political coup. We must avoid a political coup today toward more statism, toward more government controls, toward more liberal fascism.
It's time to demand separation of state and the economy. Read 'Liberal Fascism', also read 'The Capitalist Manifesto'. Live within your means, work hard, save and invest in your own future. Learn about the right ideas and advocate freedom and individual rights, and stop complaining about the fascist elites running the country. But above all, learn to live happily. You will then not lend your voice to the fascist who claim that for a 'good cause' they want to use force on others in running the economy and redistributing wealth.
If fascism continues to grow in America, it will continue to be a reaction against any Americans who have been making socialist demands against their government, employers, and fellow men. The only reason a person can justify the looting of an employer or his neighbor is via envy. We must teach our children to achieve, and not complain. That is the root of the founding American ideals, and fascism can only wither and die when enough people with true earned pride in their own efficacy and achievement stand up and won't permit political fascists to remain in office, fascist bureaucrats to remain in office, nor corporate raiding CEOs to remain in office.
Americans with earned pride should first start by withdrawing their own investments in corporations that are run by the political businessmen (the Enron / Lehman Brothers type) - the criminal CEOs that drain and loot businesses instead of building greater shareholder value.
The great news is this has started happening. People are voting with their dollars already, and the financial industry stocks are lower than ever. Until the financial industry becomes honest in America, people will justifiably stay away from them.
The views expressed in this
article are those of Nickalis N. Tower only and do not represent
the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Nickalis N. Tower is
solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an
employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
Hi Nikalis, you state that "the definition of fascism is such that the government runs the country". Fascism is a totalitarian state, usually with a dictator, almost always nationalist and often racist. Fascism usually extends extensive control over its people often in a very oppressive manner. Corporatism is a system where corporations are permitted to operate to satisfy the needs of the government and secondly the people. "governments run most all countries" with Socailism being the degree that governments go to to supply the needs of the people. In America we have the right pushing for elements of Corporatism and the left pushing for elements of Socailism, but ours is a hybrid system and certainly at this point not fascist. To say that people pushing for Socailism would be a reason for Fascism to occur is way off the mark. That would be akin to saying Hitler's reason for the genocide of the Jewish race was because they didn't believe in the teachings of Jesus! In reality Socailism is often a reaction against Fascism, and this can be witnessed in modern day Europe. Fascist states arise in the most impoverished state when the populace is most vulnerable. Corporatism on the other hand can occur at any time. You are right to suggest withdrawing funds from corporations, unless one supports Corporatism.
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