Corporate-State Fascism Is Already Here

Long live capitalism.

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“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.” — Not Benito Mussolini, but still true.

Corporations have been controlling governments across the west to varying degrees since there were governments to control. Today this happens with back room deal making, revolving doors of executives shuffling between board rooms and government agencies charged with that industry’s oversight and then back to the board room. It happens through funding research with corporate grants and state subsidies in what is now called ‘regulatory capture’.

We do not call ‘regulatory capture’ bribery or corruption. We do not even call bribery or massive corruption in government by its real name, we call it “lobbying”. We do not call the lateral move from corporation to government agencies on behalf of that corporation’s industry corruption, we call it “public service”. No matter how large the speaking fees or how many millions in stock options await the public servant they are apparently still serving the public and not the corporation.

When politicians take millions in contributions from corporations we do not call that corruption either, or bribery, we call it “campaign financing” through “political action committees”. No matter how many millions the politician raises through these legal mechanisms we are still supposed to believe they will serve the voters and not their financial contributors.