If people weren't ignorant of economics they would be protesting against regulations and taxation, since that's the true limiting factor against higher wages.
I guess these guys value their jobs more than people give them credit for. I've worked for some shitty companies, and also some really great ones. People have to take the responsibility of not getting screwed over. The government shouldn't be there to force companies to do anything when they can't even manage their own finances.
True story...esp when it comes to matters of monetary exchange/wage negotiations. However there are some health/welfare/environmental regulations I'm glad as fuck are around and the gov deff needs to maintain b/c they have been proven to be serious threat to society at large. True health and safety standards/regulations are non negotiable for all but the sociopathic business man/woman. I don't care how good it is for the economy, dumping toxic shit in peoples water supply or putting your employees at extreme risk to life/limb without providing proper safety gear/training is unacceptable behavior........ Know what I mean? Despite all their negatives (which can almost all be followed back to someone making money off of it, that is to say government corruption/abuse) which admittedly have gotten a little cray cray the past several years. I truly believe the benefits of certain regulatory agencies such as FDA/OSHA/EPA STILL outweigh the negatives. I happily pay taxes to them knowing nuclear waste isn't being dumped in my back yard, and if there is I can pick up the phone and have them hung by their toes and the shit cleaned up/inspected by pros who know at least supposedly know wtf they are doing. Make sure my food is processed in facilities that maintain health/sanitation standards...etc etc. Health inspector a dick? Good...he's doing his job....
I would much rather trust all of this to private institutions, the Federal Government is the biggest polluter on the planet. The only reason people think we need this stuff, is because people don't understand what property rights mean, and how if we had true property rights we could sue these institutions like BP and the individuals that run them with very little difficulty if they pollute.
Problem is throughout history, time and time again....private business's have proven to be almost completely irresponsible when it comes to the safety of not only the public but the employee's as well. Because a business's only responsibility is to it's share holders/investors w/e....and it shows, not that it's evil it's just the nature of the beast. This is where despite my anarchist/libertarian anti gov mind must be objective.... I think we as a society have had a net benefit from said gov. regulation in this arena. In the last 100 years we have pushed life expectancy and survival rates higher than ever before in human history through gov. funded/run sanitation and health standards alone. Maybe private contractors? sure...whole new doorway for corruption but not any more or less so than through the traditional government doorway of corruption. Maybe it is less susceptible, I wouldn't think so but it's possible. I'm not closed to the idea of private institutions doing the grunt work, but the gov that is to say the people, still need to be the ones to set the standards by which all said private institutions/contractors must abide. And there would still need to be some form of oversight on that...back to the PITA gubbmint inspectors doing surprise visits to make sure all standards are being followed. So why not just have all your shit squared away so when the city/EPA/OSHA inspector shows up there isn't anything to worry about. I as a responsible business owner expect him to be a hard ass'ed perfectionist and realize he's doing his job on behalf of public safety. So yes I will have hard hats, paperwork for every oz of toxic waste, an EMT on site during work hrs, orange reflective vest, drug test, fire extinguishers etc etc. whatever...
Government has never done anything good for the environment. Even in the industrial revolution they were ignoring property rights and allowing pollution. Nothing has ever changed. Government isn't the answer to anything, literally.
I consider government to be a necessary evil that occassionally gets something right. The National Park Service is one example. When our rivers became so polluted they caught fire, there was a need for an EPA. Problems occur when these agencies expand and attempt to control things beyond their scope.
Perhaps the reason government gets very little good done is because it has been bought by private interests who don't want it to because they make less money if it does. Nah thats just crazy.
And perhaps thats the story of every government that has ever existed showing how government should be abolished altogether.
Sorry to be buzz killington here but... Private institutions can be bought out just as easy as the government can. Also, the federal government is not the biggest polluter on the planet, oil companies are. If O.J. could buy his way out of a murder trial with a few million imaging what oil companies could do with billions... Also, there is the issue of offshore drilling. No one owns the land out there as far as I know so wouldn't the oil companies get off the hook for oil spills?
I don't think you're understanding the whole capitalism/freemarket/liberty thing. You're comparing the judicial system to the free market/possible crony, but as usual you're vague. That has more to do with the fact that our property rights arent respected.
Please, enlighten me on why private organizations would be impervious to corruption while the government isn't? Hard to debate someone who says the other doesn't understand points that haven't been made. He said we could sue the oil companies if there were property rights. Again, enlighten me - How does one sue oil companies outside the judicial system?
Its okay if a private institution is "bought ought'' because thats a free market transaction. Are you against that? If the KKK wants to buy out NBC and put a bunch of propoganda on tv they shouldn't be stopped because they're using their own money. The government is using our money to do things that violate our rights. A private organization cant make me financially support what they do. Its not complicated bro.
If it means that oil companies will be able to drill wherever they want and pollute as much as they want then yes, I am against free market transactions.
They'd only pollute as much as you and I pay them to. Oh and guess what? Capitalism/free market will likely result in a more efficient clean energy source being developed just because the people responsible will be filthy fucking rich. Maybe not in our lifetime, but yes it will be greed that does it.
At least you admitted it. There's nothing wrong, in theory, with being against free market transactions, we all have different views on economics. If you're against free market transactions, you should feel right at home in the United States. Since our government is so involved with the economy, it should come as no surprise the government is in bed with corporations and lobbyists.