Playing the Indian Card

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Big Business is a Bunch of Commies

This piece from the Competitive Enterprise Institute notes that big business gives overwhelmingly to left-wing advocacy groups—fourteen times more.

But they seem unable to account for this. Why would business fund a stance that is publicly anti-business?

Part of the answer is here:

“Some-usually larger businesses-might actually benefit as their competitors suffer more from regulations.”

Exactly. Big business benefits from regulations. They raise start-up costs and difficulties for potential competitors. In effect, they enforce a cartel of those already in the market. So big business has every reason to support left-wing causes; and does. Small business and entrepreneurs, conversely, will oppose them—and do.

But this is not the only reason. As the article notes, “that does not explain why a group representing Europe's entire chemical industry supports a regulation when it may put many of its members out of business”—i.e., the smaller fry.

And this, the article cannot explain.

But this is simple to understand once one is aware of the existence of a self-interested professional class. It stands to reason that, the more complicated business becomes, the greater a market there is for the skills of this class, regardless of the particular corporations involved.

And it is, of course, this professional class that makes the decisions in almost all businesses. They have a vested interest, as a class, in greater regulation.

And the “capitalists,” far from being the ruling class, are powerless. Their own money is being spent against their interests.

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