The Root of Crony Capitalism…Human Nature.
The basic unit of the human species is the individual. All groups, organizations and societies are
made up of individuals. Political groups
and business groups are made up of individuals, and these individuals are all
guided by basic human nature, the most basic of which is self-interest. The individuals who control the Democratic
Party, the Republican Party, Walmart, Exxon, the House of Representatives, the
Sierra Club, the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Small Business Administration,
Monsanto, the EPA, GlaxoSmithKline, the Federal Executive Branch, your local
barber shop, and any other group or organization you can name, are all motivated
by the same basic human urge…self-interest.
If all these groups are made up of individuals acting in their own
self-interest, is there any difference between the groups and organizations
listed? The most obvious difference is
this. In the case of the governmental
agencies listed, they have the power, using force, to impose their will on all
the individuals under their power. The private
companies and private groups, on the other hand, can only offer goods and services
to individuals, and the individuals can voluntarily choose to use or not use
those goods or services. Individuals in
private entities, when given the opportunity, will purchase the influence from
the individuals who control the power of government, to force the individuals
under the control of the government to utilize the goods or services they offer,
and this is called crony capitalism. It
is rampant in our political system today, and it cannot be stopped no matter
how many laws are written to prevent it.
The only way to limit crony capitalism is to limit the power of
government to those essential tasks which only government can provide and limit
the areas where they will have power and influence to sell. If we continue to allow
government power in all areas of our lives with the power to sell favors and to
pick winners and losers, the individuals in government will use that power for
their own self-interest…that is human nature at work. It seems so simple to understand. Those who wrote and ratified the Constitution
knew this. It would behoove us to
rediscover this truth.
