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Ethics You Say? -- Look in the Mirror!
Author: OldPoleBurner
Date: 12-21-2012 - 22:24
> Don't fool yourself into thinking the railroad and trucking industries (or any other industrial
> corporations for that matter) spending billions of dollars on emissions equipment has anything
> to with ethics or good will. They wouldn't spend a single dollar on safety or environmental
> equipment if unions and government regulators didn't force them under threat of law.
Yes yes! We all know about all those nasty, unethical, horrible, terrible, evil, no good, very bad, corporations; that must all be forced to do what's right. Or is it just that you want to instead crush them beneath your highly polished jackboots. We've all heard about it for years - ad nauseum!
But then again, historically, when governments around the world have owned the factories and the trains instead; with very few exceptions, they did not not do any better - actually they mostly did much worse. Chernoble anyone? Or how about your weekly Indian National Railway train wreck? Or the fatal German Federal Railway ETMS failures, that the German Government says are acceptable losses (they have only killed on two occasions, so why spend money to fix it). Don't you fool yourself into thinking there are better alternatives under some rainbow somewhere. There ain't!
But even if the leadership of a company was nambi-pambi, pie in the sky, NICE! Enough even, to spend all that money on safety, clean air, and ethical treatment of employees and customers, while their competitors did not; they'd soon be out of business or taken over for a song. Either way, they would cease to exist, and their superior ethics would then mean absolutely nothing; doing good to no one. And of course, you would be out of work - right? Or would ethics be put aside as you go to work doing the bidding of one of those ruthless companies yourself? Don't fool yourself about that either!
Businesses are not inherently unethical, as you seem to assert. Certainly, no more so than the average American individual such as yourself. Indeed, the assertion is on its face a prejudicial false stereotype, bigoted, and in and of itself - unethical!
The simple fact is, that over two hundred years ago, these types of problems were addressed by our founding fathers as they wrote the Constitution. Congress was given the duty, and broad powers to "regulate commerce among the states". Why?--- Because no matter who owns what; even if they are so damn nice and ethical; no one can take on costs that one's competitors do not, and long remain in business.
The whole point of reasonable regulation in the first place, was to enable those willing to do right, to actually remain in business while they do it. That's what the various regulatory agencies are for. Of course, for those few still hellbent on cutting corners, that's what federal marshals and the courts are for.
Too bad both parties in power, are unwilling to actually enforce anti-trust laws, or dozens of other laws already on the books (haven't since Clinton took office). It has put American businesses at a great disadvantage, and millions of us out of work as American companies have gone under - one by one.
So all your hate of private business is unwarranted. -- you just need to quit voting incumbent politicians back into office (including incumbent union officials), unless you believe that those regulations are already satisfactorily enforced. And yes, it is the politicians that run your government, who are the most corrupt and unethical of all - as greedy for raw power, as so many are!
Instead - vote for those those who don't really want the job - but who will nevertheless "serve their country" for a brief time; and then will get out of politics before they too, get corrupted by illusions of power.
Yeah I know - that sort of individual is hard to find - But so what, even if they aren't in your party.
> corporations for that matter) spending billions of dollars on emissions equipment has anything
> to with ethics or good will. They wouldn't spend a single dollar on safety or environmental
> equipment if unions and government regulators didn't force them under threat of law.
Yes yes! We all know about all those nasty, unethical, horrible, terrible, evil, no good, very bad, corporations; that must all be forced to do what's right. Or is it just that you want to instead crush them beneath your highly polished jackboots. We've all heard about it for years - ad nauseum!
But then again, historically, when governments around the world have owned the factories and the trains instead; with very few exceptions, they did not not do any better - actually they mostly did much worse. Chernoble anyone? Or how about your weekly Indian National Railway train wreck? Or the fatal German Federal Railway ETMS failures, that the German Government says are acceptable losses (they have only killed on two occasions, so why spend money to fix it). Don't you fool yourself into thinking there are better alternatives under some rainbow somewhere. There ain't!
But even if the leadership of a company was nambi-pambi, pie in the sky, NICE! Enough even, to spend all that money on safety, clean air, and ethical treatment of employees and customers, while their competitors did not; they'd soon be out of business or taken over for a song. Either way, they would cease to exist, and their superior ethics would then mean absolutely nothing; doing good to no one. And of course, you would be out of work - right? Or would ethics be put aside as you go to work doing the bidding of one of those ruthless companies yourself? Don't fool yourself about that either!
Businesses are not inherently unethical, as you seem to assert. Certainly, no more so than the average American individual such as yourself. Indeed, the assertion is on its face a prejudicial false stereotype, bigoted, and in and of itself - unethical!
The simple fact is, that over two hundred years ago, these types of problems were addressed by our founding fathers as they wrote the Constitution. Congress was given the duty, and broad powers to "regulate commerce among the states". Why?--- Because no matter who owns what; even if they are so damn nice and ethical; no one can take on costs that one's competitors do not, and long remain in business.
The whole point of reasonable regulation in the first place, was to enable those willing to do right, to actually remain in business while they do it. That's what the various regulatory agencies are for. Of course, for those few still hellbent on cutting corners, that's what federal marshals and the courts are for.
Too bad both parties in power, are unwilling to actually enforce anti-trust laws, or dozens of other laws already on the books (haven't since Clinton took office). It has put American businesses at a great disadvantage, and millions of us out of work as American companies have gone under - one by one.
So all your hate of private business is unwarranted. -- you just need to quit voting incumbent politicians back into office (including incumbent union officials), unless you believe that those regulations are already satisfactorily enforced. And yes, it is the politicians that run your government, who are the most corrupt and unethical of all - as greedy for raw power, as so many are!
Instead - vote for those those who don't really want the job - but who will nevertheless "serve their country" for a brief time; and then will get out of politics before they too, get corrupted by illusions of power.
Yeah I know - that sort of individual is hard to find - But so what, even if they aren't in your party.
