The Confluence of Government and Business

Reader comment on: The Google Shakedown

Submitted by oregonjon (United States), Apr 20, 2011 16:48

That the government favors one business over another is little more than crony capitalism, a natural strain of politics wherever there are strong central governments. In a small town near where we live a local brew pub was given state, county and city grants to buy a building, set up a bottling plant and expand into the restaurant business. Owners of competing businesses are livid, but to whom are they going to complain?

Your comment about Google and antitrust is spot on. In the 90's, when Microsoft was the big kahuna, corporate policy was to be apolitical. Politicians enviously eyed the fifty billion dollars in cash in Microsoft coffers. The anti-trust suit ensued. Microsoft now pays for protection by being a faithful donor to those in power.

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