Why were there only 3 car companies? Why was most steel made in Pittsburgh? Why are most of the radio stations in your town owned by the same media company?
Big Business loves regulation, contrary to what Republicans might say. Today the U.S. Senate passed a law increasing regulation of food production – “Big Business” supports the bill. Smaller food producers and suppliers can’t afford to compete in a market where government functionaries can put you out of business with a wave of their hand (or demand money at election time).
At the time this was in the news, I wrote that I believed the peanut butter scare was an intentional media + government plan based on no real evidence – to scare the American people into accepting complete government control over every aspect of the food supply (we must “protect the children”, after all).
So here we are. Read about Mao and China and you will see what the next chapter in this story brings. (or Stalin and Ukraine if you prefer). Don’t overlook that some of the biggest food companies operating in America are owned by Europeans.
The hand-in-glove symbiosis between Big Biz and Big Gov is not new, as you point out, Art. Shoot, wasn’t that the model used in post-Wiemar Germany? The Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP) oversaw and ran interference for its select businesses and industries. If at first you don’t succeed… .
Yes, the key word is “BIG” business. Remember what a corporation is– a piece of paper recognized by the government that says the company is a legal entity all its own and that its owners are not liable if the company goes under. Without the government, corporations cannot exist.