The Milton Friedman Choir sings about the only obligation of corporations, school choice, privatization and freedom a la Friedman (3 minute video). Very funny.
let markets rule us
states should not school us
now we’re free to choose
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/5912/the-milton-friedman-choir/
The Milton Friedman Choir
Previous post: What Afghanistan Needs
Next post: Globalization: The Long-Run Big Picture
{ 6 comments }
The song seems to leap from “corporations are amoral”, to “therefore we should support corporations”.
This might leads socialists to conclude that either Friedman is amoral, or that he acknowledged that government must control corporations in order to counteract their inherent amorality.
Perhaps this could be restated. For example,
“Corporations are not charities/But when they sell goods and services/In a free market/They achieve a moral purpose/By enriching shareholders/And customers”
Then add a verse about how government action is amoral, because it is based on violence and not on voluntary exchange.
And it could use a rousing chorus, perhaps repeating “Life liberty property”. Something like “Solidarity forever”, or “Glory glory hallelujah”.
Then, it could be an anthem for the ages.
Ohhh Henry,
I took notice of the same issue. The song is a good idea and needed, but it should flip the idea of being amoral on socialists – putting them on the defensive. Mention how amoral it is to tell someone what he or she can charge for the fruits of their labor. Maybe how amoral it is to prevent two groups from working together. Mesh that with the fact corporations are just people working together in order to sell people what they want and need. Take away the negativity associated about corporations before you start praising them for their efficiency.
Yet, it’s better than what I did – just observe. B^)
I did not take the “corporations are amoral” as a negative. “Amoral” does not mean “immoral”.
Corporations don’t have morals, people do.
Corporations are agents that serve the interests of their shareholders. It is those people that have morals, or perhaps lack them.
But the corporation is not moral or immoral in and of itself. That is the point.
This: “Corporations are agents that serve the interests of their shareholders. It is those people that have morals, or perhaps lack them.”
In understanding “Corporations”, is what is often left out of the Texts, and off the Syllabi.
A similiar observation can be fashioned in re: “Markets”.
I don’t think that corporations are amoral. I think they’re immoral. The arguement goes … “The only purpose of a corporation is to make a profit for its owners. Hence, it has no moral direction.” I would argue that only being interested in profits and money is greed and greed is an ethical value, a very bad one. From that I would say that corprations are immoral. To say that corporations have no morality, it is the people that work for them that are moral entities, doesn’t hold. You can’t have a corporation without people. Why can’t a corporations morality be quantified as the sum of the morality of the people that work in it. Do you consider a bikie gang, or Amnesty International or the Yakuza to be amoral. I don’t.
@siggyboss
I was confused by some of your comments.
“Mention how amoral it is to tell someone what he or she can charge for the fruits of their labor.”– Isn’t this what unions do? It gives individual workers a collective power so that there concerns can be heard and acted upon… workers by themselves have very little sway in most industries. I was under the impression that Friedman felt like unions were an unwanted distortion of the free market.
“Maybe how amoral it is to prevent two groups from working together. Mesh that with the fact corporations are just people working together in order to sell people what they want and need.”– I think working together is a bit of a stretch… most the people work FOR the company… A Worker’s Cooperative, where the workers each have equal share in the profits seems to be closer to what you are talking about… again, I thought this did not mesh with Friedman’s ideas.
Comments on this entry are closed.