A great battle is currently raging across the United States. It seems to pale in comparison to the blood and guts revolutions going on throughout the Middle East and Northern Africa, but, for the stability and continued existence of this Republic there are few battles that may be more important than this one. At stake here is role of government in the lives of the citizenry, and as such it bears a philosophical resemblance to the democratic awakening in cities like Cairo and Tunis.
Protesters in Madison, Wisconsin.
Our showdown is happening right now in Madison, Wisconsin. I’m sure some will claim I am ladling on the hyperbole. Theo’s just another right wing nut, ranting about how unions have ruined the U.S. I am reaching for something far more fundamental, though. This battle is really about what government is, and what it should be primarily concerned with in our country today.
Governments are not private corporations, and they should never be confused with such entities. There is no sense or motivation for profit in such an enterprise as government. The function of a government is not to create capital – indeed, that is pretty far from the function of a proper government. A government is meant to protect its people and maintain the state. It gets the ability to do this through the faith of the people in the government and the taxes it collects from said people.
A corporation is a for-profit enterprise. By its very definition such an entity is an engine for creating goods and capital. Its primary concern is for capital gain, not supporting the citizenry. A corporation, left unchecked by government (or some other regulating force, like labor unions of the past) will most certainly cause harm to people. It is the job of government to make sure corporate entities do not chew up people in order to make more money.
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I once had a teacher tell me that being anti-union was “fascist.” (that MOTHER!)