What they mean when they say "free market"

Some business writers are hailing 2007 as a shining example of business innovation and good old American know how.

They cite Boeing's new composite-fiber material for making airplanes and the popular wonders of Apple devices such as i-Pods and their many applications.

But as every business person knows, every coin has two sides, and I think business writers are being too modest in their praise and are leaving far too much out.

Wages barely at, or below the cost of living in our region, more and more people without medical insurance coverage, outsourcing family wage jobs to China/Mexico/India where they pay those folks barely at, or below the cost of living in their regions, the end of the eight hour work day in favor of the open ended work day, and work week, and on and on...

Let's not forget the innovative business strategy of corporate Washington to cut costs and increase profits by establishing a parasitical relationship with the taxpayers of our great state.

From Boeing's strong arm tactics to extort taxpayer subsidies from Gov. Locke, and the legislature, and other companies whose low pay forces their workers to depend on Medicaid, and Washington Basic Health to the amount of $600,000,000 per year led, for example by Wal-Mart, (those wonderful folks who demand wages be lowered even in Bangledesh), whose low pay forces 3,194 of their workers onto the state plan, followed by McDonald's whose low pay forces 1,932 of their workers onto state assistance, and then Safeway with 1,302 of their workers.

Here's an innovation! As long as those corporate paragons of self-sufficiency and the free market maintain their parasitical relationship with the taxpayers to help their profit margins then all those companie's policies and cash flow should be subject to state regulation and ballot initiatives!

Tim Eyman! Yo! Calling Tim Eyman!

Yes, innovation has been busting out all over the place in recent years. Bush/Cheney gave us "catastrophe capitalism" in New Orleans, along the Gulf Coast, in Iraq, and Afghanistan.

But what should we call the capitalism of companies like Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Safeway?

Let's consider for a moment...hmmm...parasite...blood sucking...vampire! Yes! Thats it!

Catastrophe capitalism, and vampire capitalism! The two greatest Republican Party and business innovations of the first six years of the new millenium!

Oh the joy! America has not lost its greatness!

Innovation marches on!