A few thoughts on Big Business

For a significant percentage of my adult life, big business has sent me a pretty good pay check every month or so.

I have some of the best health care coverage money can buy, thanks to the cooperation of several big businesses. Over the last thirty-nine years, I have recovered nicely from numerous injuries, any one of which would have killed the average man just a hundred years ago. As a matter of mere convenience, I don't have to suffer from the sneezing, coughing and itchy, watery eyes associated with my chronic allergies. Who do I have to thank? Big Businesses seeking their evil profits.

Thanks to Big Business, when my family needs me back in my home town twelve hundred miles away, or I just want to go someplace sunny for a week of rest and relaxation, I can get there in just a couple of hours, rather than the days, weeks or even months it would have taken my ancestors. Big Business also gives me the means to talk to anyone, anywhere on or in orbit around this planet by voice, text or handwriting, instantly, any time I want.

Because of Big Business, I live in my own home today, rather than saving my money toward that goal over the next twenty years, and I get to watch crystal-clear NFL football with my buddies all day every Sunday in the Fall from September to December.

Now I'm not saying all Big Businesses are great. Some are ethical and helpful, some are not. And just like politicians, even those I particularly favor sometimes do things I don't like. But the next time you're tempted to paint all Big Businesses with the same broad brush, just remember how many things you take for granted thanks to the evil Profit Motives and economies of scale achieved by Big Business. When your son gets caught skipping school with a friend or stealing a CD, you don't label him--or worse, all kids--evil. You condemn that bad choice and punish him for it, and then you move on.