Today, we Americans celebrate July 4th without any apparent questions about the meaning of freedom. At the time of the American revolution 90% of the eligible voters, granted they were male and white,were self employed.
Today, most Americans are employees and I would hold that is an important thought to give pause as to the meaning of freedom.
Dean Foods has 25,820 employees and Kraft Foods has 97,000 employees. These corporations are top-down organizations, not democratic institutions. More
importantly, they are along with other big players in dairy, are bureaucracies - big business is essentially not much different from big government. They are big buddies.
So, I find it very strange when some people advocate what they call "free markets." What is called "free markets" is neither free nor a market. I am a big supporter of both but, lets call a spade a spade. We are today close, very close, to oligarchy.
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That is a very profound concept and one which I had never considered.
ReplyDeleteAccording to this document http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/1790m-02.pdf, the 1790 census, the first ever taken in the country, showed a total population of 3,893,635, with a little under 20% of the total population, 807,094 free white males 16 years old and older.
ReplyDeleteSlightly more than 80% of the populace were not eligible to vote; they were chattel.
I don't disagree with your conclusion that big business and big government are big buddies, but the implication that United States residents then were freer than present-day corporate employees might be flawed.
Definately, no question about it. How else can you explain the fact that more and more reports have been circulating that nothing will be done to change dairy policy before the next farm bill. Then consider that not all of the provisions of the last farm bill were implemented, and that it still requires congressional action to make that happen. Last year our congressman's office boldly stated that nothing will be done before the next farm bill. To me that proves there is an agenda for legistation and only the powerful rule- hence an oligarchy.
ReplyDeleteThank you June for your comment. I am well aware of the points you make and did not mean to imply everyone or anyone was freer in the early days of the republic. to some being bound in chains is freedom http://www.wisdomportal.com/Inspiration/CastleChillon.html
ReplyDeleteMy main point is that freedom is not a "thing" with concrete dimensions fixed in time. And, the idea of "free market" is mostly delusional.