Free Market Capitalism Inevitably Leads to Corruption

"While a Corporation is not strictly a business, corporations have historically not sprung up at the behest of government"- You kind of missed the point. It is still sanctioned favoritism. "corporate status means little in terms of power, it's only a logical extension of recognizing an entity that is bigger than an individual."- You need to do more research. Think BP oil spill, when the government levied that fine what was it 400bn... who do you think paid it? The CEO? the Board? .... no the Corporation paid it which really means, the stock holders paid it. We have a system heavily tied to corporate legal protections that allows for the most severe punishments to be passed down to those least responsible... those with no actual management of the situation. "It is my contention that absent incorporation, government would have no way to recognize OR limit corporate power."- You are neglecting a fundamentally self correcting nature in the market. Corporations who cheat their customers tend not to stay in business long. GM din't go bankrupt for the hell of... their cars where ^%$# and they where %$#@ for along time. Some contend there has been little improvement, GM created an inferior product and it should have been destroyed... instead the state played favorites, is this what you mean by Recognition? Bad news for you, GM is yet again on the edge of Bankruptcy. " I don't feel you really back up exactly why corporations wouldn't become "too big to fail"."- Do Tell. "A large failing corporation may drag down an economy, but I'm far more concerned about corporations for whom failure is not the issue. What is to keep corporations of great success only becoming more successful, even if they use unscrupulous tactics and manipulations to make it happen?"- The sentiments behind this sentence have just a hint of paranoia behind them. Mc. Donalds is a good example, a lot of people know these days that their business practices suck and their product is at best..questionable. They've been #1 for a long time but in the last 2 quarters 2013 they have seen something they haven't seen in a very long time. A NET Decline in business. The Corporate leaders are no fools, they pay attention to the Anti-McDonalds groups popping up and realize the market is all ways able to build momentum against them.No business is to big to lose,except those who are in bed with regulators. In a market place that's free of unreasonable restrictions, Mc donalds faces a Million mom and pop stores as competitors and the threat of regional chains as well. Though I am not a big fan of Fast food and I Categorically refuse to do business at Mc. Donalds, this is just one example of a high competitive market, one which for now still has a sane-balance of regulations in most states. Let's contrast that with "Strong government involvement". http://www.miamiherald.com...hm... an entrenched special interest group is using regulation to keep out competition.... No have EVVVVER seen that before. http://www.nytimes.com...;http://money.cnn.com...http://www.ij.org...http://www.ij.org...http://www.ij.org...http://www.capecodonline.com...;http://cnsnews.com...And last but not least:http://www.newson6.com...; ==== Government is an Entrenched, slow moving force... when it does bazarr and rediculious ^%$ it may even seem humerous to read about like requiring 400 hours of state classes to be a Interrior designer in Florida. Far more than the 40 hours it takes to gat a Class A Drivers licence needed to operate a 10's of tons 18 wheeler. But given your responces so far i am conerned that you may look at that graphic and conclude that truck drivers need more training. " By my reckoning, if we have to favor one, I say favor government because in a system NOT totally bought and paid for by unchecked private enterprise at least we all get a vote, and "voting with your dollars" as the free-hand types love to say is limited to those who HAVE dollars and are somehow well-informed."- You defeated your point in the same breath you made it. Once again the entrenched nature of Government means it is liable to exploitation and the more power the government has the more business will seek to use that power to their benefit. In the Absence of that power, there is nothing for businesses which betray their products and customers to cling on to after they go bust.