How long ago did Jack Blanchard write that?

He provides an very precise picture of what's actually happening in the early 21st century, right down to the shrinking bags of coffee and the particle-board construction techniques.

Michael: Your point is well taken, and I certainly understand that you're not arguing in favor of Italian fascism.

I might take one or two steps back from my previously stated positions, but not all the way back ~ my understanding of the term "fascism" is obviously more inclusive than yours, and I feel absolutely no obligation to adhere strictly to Mussolini's concept.

Let me defend my decision to cast part of the discussion in terms of "theory and practice." Government can take over the functions of corporate business only in theory, just as Pope Leo's "specially established organizations or boards" and Karl Marx's "dictatorship of the proletariat" can exist only in theory. In practice, the businessman's golden rule always prevails: He who has the gold rules. And let's not forget Burke, either: "Power corrupts, and absolute poer corrupts absolutely."

Without a measure of constraint on the part of elected officials, the most powerful and most diversified multinational corporations can do pretty much whatever they want, with no regard for anyone except their largest shareholders ~ the grossly overpaid CEOs, the board members, and perhaps a few more favored individuals. Not the general public, certainly, and not their employees and customers either. "Owners" who hold tiny shares as part of a mutual-funds pension package don't really get much, either ~ they may make a few extra bucks in dividends, but that hardly offsets what they're losing as consumer/citizens.