Government and Industry

A government that controls industry is necessarily a government that is controlled by industry. Just thought of this as I was reading this review of the movie Food Inc.

I admit my expectations were somewhat low. I was anticipating something more along the lines of a Michael Moore’s emotional yet analytically vapid productions, such as Sicko and Capitalism: A Love Story. This film had quite a few negative things to say. However, it is a bit more sober and interesting, even for a laissez-faire capitalist like me.

To see why, consider a few of its themes:

1. A negative view of the large size of food industry businesses.
2. A positive view of government power when it’s used to mandate food industry practice.
3. A negative view of the control of government by the food industry.
4. A positive view of small/organic/non-factory farming.

Holding both views 2. and 3. involves a contradiction.