Democractic presidential candidate Howard Dean has proposed a radical “re-regulation of businesses.”
HOUSTON, Nov. 18 – After years of government deregulation of energy markets, telecommunications, the airlines and other major industries, Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean is proposing a significant reversal: a comprehensive “re-regulation” of U.S. businesses.
Computer AssociatesThe former Vermont governor said he would reverse the trend toward deregulation pursued by recent presidents – including, in some respects, Bill Clinton – to help restore faith in scandal-plagued U.S. corporations and better protect U.S. workers.
In an interview around midnight Monday on his campaign plane with a small group of reporters, Dean listed likely targets for what he dubbed as his “re-regulation” campaign: utilities, large media companies and any business that offers stock options. Dean did not rule out “re-regulating” the telecommunications industry, too.
He also said a Dean administration would require new workers’ standards, a much broader right to unionize and new “transparency” requirements for corporations that go beyond the recently enacted Sarbanes-Oxley law.
“In order to make capitalism work for ordinary human beings, you have to have regulation,” Dean said. “Right now, workers are getting screwed.”
Good God, this is frightening. To have ANY U.S. politician make a statement such as this, let alone a politician of one of the two major parties, is quite a frightening thing. Again we see the ridiculous contradiction of claiming to reap the benefits of capitalism while completely undercutting it through regulation.
i agree. who cares about workers? They arent the ones who produce what we need. capitalists are. if workers get screwed, that’s too bad for them… we can’t restrain the great minds for the benefit of the lesser humans. like in the industrial revolution, everyone was whining about there not being laws against child labor, and children working 14 hour days. they wanted the government to regulate the economy and stop that. but that would have ruined industrial progress. basically people need to stop whining about “the little” guy and realize that we need to give the super-men complete freedom so they can create progress and superior materials.
Comment by Hollander 11/19/2003 @ 4:35 pm
Hollander, you are a truly cruel. It’s one thing to disagree, it’s another to make your enemies out to be psychopaths. The Blogger here isn’t advocating anything like this, he’s merely saying that economic freedom is important for economic growth. The “little guy” will be in deep trouble if the “big guys” aren’t given the freedom they need to expand economically and create more and higher-paying jobs. This is common sense. Regulations against child labor aren’t infringing upon businesses or violating laizzes-faire; they’re protecting children’s individual rights. If you think that’s wrong, go ahead and post again, but I don’t think your idiocy can stand up against clarifications. And if you want to actually discuss this like intelligent human beings, I’ll give you my email address.
Comment by CZ 11/20/2003 @ 12:38 pm