It's not about the corrupt corporations. It's about the corruption that is government.

published Jan 26, 2012, last modified Jun 26, 2013

An analogy.

Consider this:

You're playing forward in a football game. Standard rules - 11 v. 11, you can use any part of your body except for your hands, etc., etc.

Suddenly, someone on the opposing team approaches one of the referees. "Hey," he asks the official, "I know it's technically 'cheating', but do you think you could make an exception for me and let me use my hands for the next half? Nobody else, just me... okay, and maybe a couple of my buddies - my center forward and left back. We'll treat you and the linesmen to some corn dogs after the game in exchange, fair trade?"

The noble zebra decides to play along, and the players who can now use their hands absolutely demolish the opposing players who aren't afforded the same privilege - effectively ruining and rigging the game.  It would not be surprising if you agreed with me that this situation is rotten for you, right?

So who's to blame here for your loss?

Certainly, the player who first approached the referees is a colossal prick. Him asking for such an underhanded (no pun intended) advantage is a huge dick move, or at least it is in my book. He's somewhat responsible for your loss.

But he's not the only one responsiible, nor is he the most responsible either.  Ask yourself: how did he acquire that advantage over you? He didn't just individually decide "I'm gonna cheat and get away with it". No, he decided "I'm gonna cheat, but I need help to get away with it, because I don't have the power to pull this shit off on my own."

And there you see it.  The referee gave him the unfair advantage. The official arbiters, those who make the rules and enforces them, is the one who actually rigged the game.

Now, you can probably expect the referee to make excuses for his behavior.  It doesn't matter what the referee's excuse is. "Oh, it was raining and we didn't want anyone to get sick so we wanted to wrap up the match early", or "But the players we let use their hands weren't as skilled as the players on the other team, they wouldn't have stood a chance otherwise!".  Whatever they say, they are still stuffing their faces with those ill-gotten corn dogs behind the bleachers; when it's all said and done, the reality is that they twisted the rules, perverted the rules, broke the rules.

Now apply this to businesses and government, with businesses playing as your opponent and the referees' roles being played by legislators, judges, bureaucrats.  If you believe in government, then you can probably understand that the government's only role should be to facilitate fair play, not to disregard the rules (like, say, the Constitution) and make up their own sui generis rules.

I'm no economist or political scientist, just an average schmuck making a quick observation.  Think about that for a second.  If an average schmuck like me, can figure out that political corruption starts with government, you can figure it out too.

So, next time you hear people supplicating the government for protection from the corporations, remember what you just read, and you will understand how those supplications couldn't possibly ever work.  Government and bad businesses work together behind closed doors; the evildoers in corporations can only ever obtain their overwhelming influence and political power through government.

Taken from here.