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plus good intentions makes it America!..., 2008-01-23 15:08:30 | Main | an obesity stimulus..., 2008-01-25 12:30:25 reaction begets regulation: Reminding myself of this about that: Business reliance on the federal government may have been variable in its emphasis, but it was consistent in its use. It was perfectly logical that industrialists who had spent years attempting to solve their economic problems by centralization should have been willing to resort to political centralization as well. ... It was never a question of regulation or no regulation among businessmen during the Progressive Era, or of federal control versus laissez faire; there was, rather the question of what type of legislation at what time. On the fundamental proposition that the government was to be utilized freely, if not for someone else's problems then at least for one's own, there was never any disagreement in practice, and frequently little in theory as well. If American business did not always obtain its legislative ends in the precise form it wanted them, its goals and means were clear. And the dominant trend in the political decisions that were made, with few exceptions, preserved the type of distribution of power and decision-making that also insured the power of regulated industries. It is possible, of course, to find division in the ranks of "business" if the opinion of a Morgan lawyer is balanced off by a resolution of the Alabama Board of Trade. Such a procedure assumes that there are no operational power centers and that one opinion is as influential as another - a proposition almost disproven by stating it in a manner which allows one to realize what it really alleges. What is crucial is the opinion of key groups, first of all, and the majority of all interests within a specific industry in which state or federal regulation is an issue. --Kolko, 1963 Google has an interest in virtually everything, so this should be entertaining. Console thyself that they're not the 'defense' industry, but a mere derivative. :: posted by buermann @ 2008-01-23 20:38:35 CST | link go ahead, express that vague notion Name: Email: Homepage: Comment your turing test: