Any time there is clearly a common good to be served, but which cannot be served at a profit, some form of common ownership is necessary. Social Security is an example.

Our "civilization", as we like to think ofd it, is partly social, partly democratic, and partly corporatist.

Social-based activities steer toward the good of the whole society. Democratic initiatives elevate the role of the informed individual is pursuing his own view of right action. Corporatism moves to benefit groups of people working around a common theme of production and sales and delivery of services and goods.

The truth is that all of these views have contributed benefit to our society, and the only time we have gotten into trouble is when one or another of them was held up as a senior good to the detriment of the others. Corporatism without democracy becomes fascistic. SOcialism without corporate and democratic power becomes inefficiently Marxist. Corporatism without any social conscience leads to the abuses of the 1890-1930 era. Democracy without any social engineering is fun, but haywire and open to corruption.

Extremism corrupts, and absolute extremism corrupts absolutely.


A