4 Ways Business Friendly Policies Have Backfired
The U.S. government is in a constant struggle to balance the needs of its citizens with creating an environment in which the country’s economy can thrive. The constant seesawing battle between competing interests has taken a drastic turn toward pro-business stances in recent years, and coupled with friendly decisions from the Supreme Court like Citizen’s United, have helped steer the country’s policies toward corporate interests.
It hardly began recently, however. Over the past few decades, corporate lobbyists and compromised government officials have been able to slowly chip away at many policies and laws set in place to benefit citizens and protect the nation from overbearing business interests. Corporate personhood has slowly crept its way into the fabric of American life, and there are even current battles being fought at the highest levels over issues that concern a company’s right to control employees’ rights to things like healthcare. It’s fair to say the balance of power has been shifted significantly out of citizens’ hands.
As it is the government’s role to dictate economic policy to best spur growth and prosperity, there are many things that are done that actually have the opposite effect. When corporations are given too much leeway in the methods they can employ to maximize profits, typically there are externalities that bring about a cost to society as a whole. While a few at the top ultimately see a benefit from corporate overreach, the cost trickles down to have an effect on taxpayers and citizens of all economic statuses.
The government may enact legislation that it believes will be of benefit both businesses and the taxpayers, but many times they get the opposite of the intended result. You could say the government is trying to build a business friendly economic climate in a backwards way, and there are several ways in which they are doing it.
Read on to see four ways the government is making conjuring up a business friendly economic climate in a way that needs serious overhaul.