Inflation is real. And it can hurt. Lately, though, I have been seeing people repeat the complaint that high prices are due to corporate greed. I’m not a fan of the system of incorporation, but those complaining never explain what they mean by “greed.” If it means “wants the most one can get,” then corporations are indeed greedy—but so are non-corporate businesses and each of us as individuals. If that’s what it means, the complaint is uninteresting.
The complaint is simply an ignorant ruse by socialists and other statists to deflect the blame from where it rightly belongs: the government, which causes inflation by creating too much (mostly credit) money, while at the same time implicating capitalism, their eternal nemesis. There is no logic to it other than that.
While I suspect that happens, I doubt it’s the usual case. I suspect most people just see high prices and seek someone to blame and ignorance leads them to accept what they hear: business is evil, so it must be the fault of businesses.
I agree with your ’most people’ (who make this complaint), but if they believe businesses are evil, doesn’t that make them statists of some type? Ok, they are parrots, but they are anti-capitalist parrots. More importantly, though, it sidesteps who they are hearing it from.
May be hearing from statists, but aren’t likely thinking things through well enough to really be statists (I.e., they may not want to increase the power of the state). They may be thinking that without businesses people would just do more for each other (in some utopian anarchist society—but again, I doubt they’ve thought that through).
Sorry Professor, but I can’t believe that you seriously believe there are more anarchy-leaning people making this complaint than there are more-government-leaning people. And again I have to ask, why are you focusing on the mindless users rather than the conniving peddlers of this poison?
Starting with your final question: we’re not going to affect the conniving peddlers, so I see no point in addressing them. Importantly, though, I don’t think many are actually anarchists; I simply think many intuitively want less “controllers” (I.e., concentrations of powers over them—whether in the gov or in corps) and then misunderstand what would make that happen.
If you had said, “My article was more about the idea of greed than the people making the complaint”, I would have said, “Fair enough”. But to say, “They’re not going to change, so I’m not going to expose them” surprises me.
Good article, but is shocking that Americans need this breakdown of the „supply and demand“ economy that we have benefited from. Government or „pro social“ oversight from the state will be our death knell
The complaint is simply an ignorant ruse by socialists and other statists to deflect the blame from where it rightly belongs: the government, which causes inflation by creating too much (mostly credit) money, while at the same time implicating capitalism, their eternal nemesis. There is no logic to it other than that.
While I suspect that happens, I doubt it’s the usual case. I suspect most people just see high prices and seek someone to blame and ignorance leads them to accept what they hear: business is evil, so it must be the fault of businesses.
I agree with your ’most people’ (who make this complaint), but if they believe businesses are evil, doesn’t that make them statists of some type? Ok, they are parrots, but they are anti-capitalist parrots. More importantly, though, it sidesteps who they are hearing it from.
May be hearing from statists, but aren’t likely thinking things through well enough to really be statists (I.e., they may not want to increase the power of the state). They may be thinking that without businesses people would just do more for each other (in some utopian anarchist society—but again, I doubt they’ve thought that through).
Sorry Professor, but I can’t believe that you seriously believe there are more anarchy-leaning people making this complaint than there are more-government-leaning people. And again I have to ask, why are you focusing on the mindless users rather than the conniving peddlers of this poison?
Starting with your final question: we’re not going to affect the conniving peddlers, so I see no point in addressing them. Importantly, though, I don’t think many are actually anarchists; I simply think many intuitively want less “controllers” (I.e., concentrations of powers over them—whether in the gov or in corps) and then misunderstand what would make that happen.
If you had said, “My article was more about the idea of greed than the people making the complaint”, I would have said, “Fair enough”. But to say, “They’re not going to change, so I’m not going to expose them” surprises me.
Good article, but is shocking that Americans need this breakdown of the „supply and demand“ economy that we have benefited from. Government or „pro social“ oversight from the state will be our death knell
Agreed!