A couple of comments. First, on your #1. Crony capitalism can only exist if the government has too much power. If politicians wouldn't have the (extra) power to "deliver the goods" - businesses wouldn't bother buying those politicians. The only cure for crony capitalism is limited government.
And wrt #2 -- true, many believe that our rights - including the rights to own things - was "given" to us by the state. But they are wrong - it was given to us by God - and by the Constitution. Governments can't give us those rights, but they may try to steal them.
It seems to me that the entire US economy has features reminiscent of a grocery store in a very poor neighborhood. The owners of the store are making a ton of money -- because the residents get their welfare checks, and spend it. By the same token, the entire nation, by now, depends on the government. What gets collected in taxes is not enough - many trillions of dollars are being borrowed and spent. They send out to the tune of hundreds of dollars per month per person -- counting only the *borrowed* money.
Our corporations, like that general store in the poor neighborhood - are doing well. They sit on record amounts of cash. No need to invest, no need to hire more workers or to raise salaries. No particular need to grow. We have a steady state. Also, the Fed runs the markets, and the investing classes are doing better than ever. But the majority, like those welfare recipients, are just surviving.
The recent increase in the disparity of incomes between the rich and everyone else is a consequence of government policies. |
