Fascism, State Capitalism and Outsourcing
That is the name of the latest essay at Strike the Root by the man who goes by the name of weebies. It's a worthwhile read for sure, despite the fact that weebies mentions the economic arguments of Paul Craig Roberts in a positive light. According to weebies, Roberts doesn't delve into the differences between free markets and state capitalism, and I would add that Roberts's unfortunate hostility to free markets may have something to do with that. His thinking at times comes off as rather nationalist, and his solutions are often statist in nature, as has been pointed out by the Salty Pig here and here.
This article should also be an eye-opener for the libertarians out there who feel the need to worship Wal-Mart for some reason. Why praise a corporation that is so dependant on state intervention that it would be totally doomed in a free market?
This article should also be an eye-opener for the libertarians out there who feel the need to worship Wal-Mart for some reason. Why praise a corporation that is so dependant on state intervention that it would be totally doomed in a free market?
posted by freeman at 4/26/2005 02:22:00 AM
3 Comments:
I'm not a W-M worshipper, but I can't help but ask: since the state has insinuated itself so thoroughly into corporate business, is there any USSA corporation around today that wouldn't be "totally doomed in a free market"? How could one find such a beast, assuming it does exist?
That's a good question. I'd say that you're correct in thinking that any USSA corporation would be doomed in a free market since the current market is so heavily saturated with state involvement that more often than not favors such corporations.
I think the reason W-M recieves so much attention is because not only is it the largest corporation in America and is patronized by so many, but because certain "free marketeers" often like to brand it as a sort of shining example of what "free market" capitalism can achieve for people in terms of offering such low prices and the business success that has accompanied it.
It's one thing to shop at such stores if one wishes, but it's irritating for people to equate corporations like W-M with free markets. I think that explains why weebies singled out W-M and why brought that portion of his column up in my post.
Good points, freeman. I'll admit that for a while I did like Wal-Mart, a lot ... but after learning more about its often heavy-handed practices in getting land, seeing a noticeable decrease in the quality of goods they offer, and how little they care about consumer privacy, I can't defend them any more.
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