The government is propping up the companies because that's what the companies made happen. Your framing suggests that government did this on its own. It did not. The outsized ability of companies to influence the government is the core problem that must first be solved. It is the root of most people's gripes with the government.
The outsized ability of companies to influence the government is the core problem that must first be solved.
Replace companies with nobility or aristocracy and you're talking about a problem as old as civilization itself. The fact is, small groups with control over a lot of resource (elites) will always work to consolidate and secure their power. Barring some radical, unforeseen technology, the masses of people will always have a more difficult time coordinating their actions to prevent this. This is the class struggle narrative of history.
I don't want to downplay the importance of campaign finance reform but that's just a drop in the bucket. Look at all the wealthy donors that endow the Ivy League. Look at all the charity speaking engagements, yacht clubs, Davos junkets, private island parties.
Meanwhile, mainstream television is waning in influence for political advertising. Now it's all about Facebook. Think of the micro-targeting turnout power they have. It's obscene!
The introduction to State and Power by V. I. Lenin says exactly this - the state will always become a proxy for the rich owners of production (GDP generation.) And not in a nefarious way but in an inevitable "forces" way. Democracy is the best government for large/rich entities in a capitalistic environment. It presents the appearance of fairness and legitimacy, yet delegates most of its power and direction to the heads of production via influence, lobbyists, etc.
I have no idea - I'm not usually one to espouse political ideas unless wholly relevant to a topic at hand. It seems that a band of HN users are politically adverse - which is sad, since capital rules our lives and society, and merely ignoring its flaws does nothing to abate them.
I'm just paraphrasing Lenin. Even if you are emotionally repelled by the horrors committed in the name of communism, The Communist Manifesto and State and Power are worth a read. Lenin was the best writer of the bunch, direct and explanatory. Marx is wordy and almost writes in an obfuscated fashion.
The problems with democracy that were described _still_ exist today. One can dislike communism and still acknowledge the criticisms of capitalism as valid and in need of address.
Communism was never actually executed true to the image. The state of the proleteriat was supposed to wither away - instead it became a dictatorship with secret police.
