Article by Kevin Carson.
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Arguably the majority of Fortune 500 profits result from taxpayer subsidies, government-conferred monopolies like “intellectual property,” special protections, and entry barriers, rather than from peaceful exchange on the free market.

So why would it be so inconceivable that a lot of businesses in the economy we actually live in might get their profits through exploitation? Unless, that is, the Koch brothers have some vested interest in pretending that the present corporatist economy really is a free market.

After watching Obama’s performance over the past two years, I find myself thinking of the Bearded Spock universe when I hear complaints about his “anti-business” bias.

Sure, Obama uses some egalitarian, anti-business rhetoric. It’s a great way of distracting people from the movement of his hands as he stuffs the pockets of big business with subsidies and cloaks them with all sort of anti-competitive regulations. And look at the folks he’s surrounded himself with: Emanuel, Geithner, Summers, Rubin, Immelt. Yeah, that’s quite a little Maoist study circle he’s got there.

I wish Obama was “anti-business” enough to match that rhetoric with simply moving toward the ideal of a free market by cutting the vast array of governmental subsidies to Big Business — but, then, that’s not what he’s there for.