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Big business, big government

In a philosophical discussion about types of government present in contemporary America, Notre Dame philosopher Gary Gutting puts his finger on something I find incredible (= not credible) about the Tea Party: Much of our current debate over this challenge focuses on the question of whether we have “too much government,” where “government” means the […]

In a philosophical discussion about types of government present in contemporary America, Notre Dame philosopher Gary Gutting puts his finger on something I find incredible (= not credible) about the Tea Party:

Much of our current debate over this challenge focuses on the question of whether we have “too much government,” where “government” means the federal bureaucracy.  Our “Platonic” analysis suggests that this is at best a gross oversimplificaton. The question, rather, is precisely how should we calibrate the relative strengths of all five elements of our multocracy.  Current calls for “less government” actually mean less power for elected leaders and for the bureaucracies that serve them and more power for the “oligarchy” of millionaires and corporations.  Such calls also imply less power for the people (the democratic element), since, while elected leaders are directly responsible to those who vote, those whose power is based on wealth are not.  In fact, many of us who bristle at any government interference with our freedom and privacy, accept, as an economic necessity, similar interference from the companies we work for or do business with.

It’s hard to know what the correct balance is between government power and the private sector, but it bothers me that conservatives, who ought to be suspicious of any concentration of power, only seem to be bothered by concentrated power in the public sector.

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