The High Cost Of Free Enterprise

Freedom, Happiness, Financial and Personal Success, The American Dream. The pinnacle of achievement in America, the combination of these virtues combined - the goal that many of us aim for - is entrepreneurship. To work for ones self and only have to answer to the customer, rather than any other form of a boss. It's an entirely different lifestyle, but one that many find happiness in. You set your own schedule and work for the people you want to work for, according to your necessity. As an individual you have to figure out how to market yourself, build a loyal customer base, you have to provide results and often don't have anyone but yourself to fall back onto. It has the capability to develop confidence, passion, intelligence, and other traits that a 9-5 job simply is not likely to.

Small business ownership has always been a pillar in America, and has always been a key path for the average American. Small to medium sized businesses create over 60% of jobs on average.

To me, all of this is good, it's positive, it offers diversity for both consumers and entrepreneurs alike.

On the other hand, I'm very much against large companies.

They don't offer diversity, less jobs are created ( One walmart can put several local stores out of business, for instance ), loyalty to consumers and workers alike reduces. With millions, billions of dollars comes a whole new world, the side of business I cannot come to agree with or like. A whole mess of bad things come from large corporations, and it's just not worth it.

Legislation including policies, regulations, laws, restrictions, etc, start to be to protect the large business, rather than promote business as a whole. These regulations kill the small business owner, while the large corporation happily complies, knowing they will have an even bigger corner of the market. Corporate lobby-ism becomes the norm, where people advocate for multi-billion dollar corporations, and attempt to influence our government. Patents and copyrights become broader, more vague, and over-bearing, creating situations where competition is discouraged, and often outright "illegal".

Mega-corps like Monsanto, Procter+Gamble, and the like come around and completely change how entire markets work. Monsanto literally owns any seeds that are even accidentally sprayed with their patented poison. To be able to monopolize the very food we eat, the medication we take to try to keep our health ( Which is going downhill because of the food situation ) Big Pharma and Big Agriculture loves being cozy with the government - To have control over the USDA and FDA works out extremely well for them - Looking into herbal and alternative healing that does not have terrible side effects is taboo at the least, illegal in other cases.

Data becomes manipulated, falsified, and otherwise misconstrued in the name of profits and propaganda. We can no longer trust data that comes from the government, nor business because they are all in it together, and partisanship and profits now rule the people, not freedom and truth. Senators, Presidents, Congressman, etc all become puppets for corporations - Just look at how much money is poured into elections every year, and realize that this is not any form of philanthropy, and is not in the name of truly free-enterprise or capitalism.

This is where I advocate for a different system altogether. I believe that the government should be much smaller on the federal level, and that states should have more control over their own territories. I also believe that the market should be designed, possibly even controlled in a manner that discourages and perhaps makes impossible the practices that corporations have become so comfortable with these days. Small business should be propped up, supported, encouraged, etc, while large corporations should be scrutinized, watched over, suspected, taxed, etc.

While this is a rather large regulation in one aspect, I really believe it would have overall positive effects on the people, the economy, the nation as a whole. I believe it's also the more realistic way to ensure that freedom keeps on the truest path that it can. I've advocated for other systems in which consumers become responsible, knowledgeable, and the free market is less regulated - But that's how we got here in the first place. Someone made too much money, the government and corporations got really cozy, and we came up with all the messes we have today.

What do you think, fellow ATS members?

-Deadlyhope

Here is an alternative as radical as it gets ; do away with the " money " and everything else will fall in line.

a reply to: 23432

I am at work and am not able to watch videos right now, but your premise is what I disagree with.

Trade has always existed. Whether it was gold, spices, clothing, food - Or a dollar bill, greed has always existed. People seem to think currency can just go away, but I don't think so, and I don't think it's realistic ( trust me, I'd love if it were ) But skills are always going to be worth a certain amount of goods, vice versa. Trade will always exist, and as such, someone can always have the most, others the least- Whether they produce it, or otherwise inherit, steal, etc.

Competition will always lead to larger dominate players. However, those players don't always last and newer and better entrants often come into a market.

There wasn't always a Wal-Mart. Remember Sears, JC Penney, Macy's, Rich's, and a host of other companies that existed long before and have essentially failed.

There wasn't always a Starbucks.

Remember when Apple almost failed? Didn't think so... most people forget they were a second string PC maker up until the late 90s and almost went out of business. Gateway? Who? Compaq?

The graveyard is full of once large companies that eventually failed only to be replaced by better managed companies.

Yes, small business it the backbone of our economy, but most business start off as small and dream. Some grow to be massive enterprises but most eventually fail. This is entrepreneurship.

The problems you cite are really more an indictment of man's greed, corruption, and other failures. No system can change that...

Entrepreneurship and small business is the backbone of American economy but not for much longer. Go to any small American town and see the boarded up stores. Mom and pop operations have largely been replaced by the mega wally styled corporate oligarchy. One stop everything from banking, health care/pharma, auto repair, all under one roof.

Of course there will be service operations and small niche stores where an entrepreneur can flourish but if you can't fly under the radar it's a struggle.

I have had a lot of LLCs and only a few were what I would call successful. Which brings up another question "what do you consider successful"? Often playing the game, doing what you love even if you go into debt is more satisfying than making a fortune drawing a salary.

The economy is going to change drastically and small business operation is going to suffer and suffer biggly. Believe me, suffer.

SBA will disappear, start up capital will vanish and money is going to be very very expensive, believe me, really really really expensive. Sad.

Trickle down economy on steroids....

originally posted by: deadlyhope
a reply to: 23432

I am at work and am not able to watch videos right now, but your premise is what I disagree with.

Trade has always existed. Whether it was gold, spices, clothing, food - Or a dollar bill, greed has always existed. People seem to think currency can just go away, but I don't think so, and I don't think it's realistic ( trust me, I'd love if it were ) But skills are always going to be worth a certain amount of goods, vice versa. Trade will always exist, and as such, someone can always have the most, others the least- Whether they produce it, or otherwise inherit, steal, etc.

One way to do away with money is to make it available in abundance to everyone ; if suddenly earning a living becomes as easy as 1-2-3 , voila , you have enough money to last you a month or two.

In the light of the expected developments in automation & computerisation ; the chances are that the future is not about " busy-ness " but " hobby-ies ".

Money is The Tool of enslavement ; Greed is the Engine of it.

What if your microscope earnt you a living because you asked it to ?