Bad Business: How US Politicians Put Profits Over People
When politicians say they want “small government,” you’d expect them to champion policies that limit state intrusion into private lives. Less oversight, fewer regulations, and a belief in the sanctity of individual choice — that’s the promise of small government. But for many elected officials in local, state, and federal government, the creed of small government only seems to apply to big business. When it comes to books, bodies, and basic human freedoms, their idea of governance becomes far more, shall we say, expansive.
Small Government for Big Money
Last week, a federal appeals court ruled that U.S. regulators overstepped their authority by reinstating “net neutrality” rules governing internet service providers, dealing a blow to efforts to ensure internet service providers couldn’t throttle or block access to certain websites. The rationale? Let the free market work its magic. Of course, this gave corporate giants like Comcast and Verizon the green light to prioritize profits over consumer access. You didn’t think this motive only applied to health insurance companies, did you?
At its core, net neutrality meant a level playing field for everyone — small businesses, start-ups, and consumers alike. Stripping these rules under the guise of “small government” wasn’t about empowering individuals; it was about empowering corporations. Big ones. Isn’t it curious that the same lawmakers championing these rollbacks don’t see any contradiction in their push for increased restrictions on women’s bodies, drag shows, and school libraries?
Big Government for Small People
Take the recent resurgence of book bans across the United States. States like Florida and Texas have led the charge in restricting access to literature that dares to explore themes of race, gender, or sexuality. Books like Toni Morrison’s Beloved or Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer have found themselves at the center of this moral panic. Ostensibly, this is about protecting children, but make no mistake: these bans are a blatant intrusion into the freedoms of educators, librarians, and families to choose themselves. Talk about governmental overreach.
After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, state legislators, mostly men, think nothing of overreaching into a woman’s uterus to control how and when to reproduce and plan families. Many states rushed to implement abortion bans so restrictive they’ve forced doctors to choose between saving a patient’s life and risking criminal charges. Just ask the women in Texas who were denied life-saving care because their pregnancies were deemed “non-viable.” The same politicians who rail against regulating private enterprise don’t hesitate to police the most personal of decisions: what happens in a woman’s womb.
Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and Tennessee’s anti-drag legislation exemplify a growing trend of targeting individuals’ rights to live and love as they choose. All this from the party that cries “less government” anytime there’s a conversation about regulating predatory lending, environmental destruction, or workplace discrimination.
This selective interpretation of “small government” reveals a deeper truth: it’s not about the size of government at all. It’s about where — and for whom — that power is wielded. When regulating business, these officials suddenly become libertarians, waxing poetic about free markets and individual liberties. But when it’s about regulating individuals? Well, that’s another story entirely.
The motivations here aren’t just ideological; they’re economic. Many of these so-called small-government advocates are backed by powerful corporate interests that benefit from the deregulation of business. They don’t want less government; they want a government that prioritizes their profits over people. This is why you see them gutting worker protections, environmental safeguards, and consumer rights while simultaneously enacting laws that control what you can read, say, or do with your body.
The irony is staggering. Small-government conservatives decry “cancel culture” when a company faces backlash for supporting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation or DEI. Yet, they’re all too eager to cancel a book from a high school curriculum or a drag performance in a local library. They lambaste “government handouts” but have no problem handing out corporate tax breaks while slashing public services.
Let’s look at another example: the attacks on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing. Some states have even banned state funds from working with firms that consider ESG factors in their decision-making. This is framed as fighting “activism” in the financial sector, but in reality, it’s an assault on investors who dare to prioritize sustainability and human rights over short-term profits. This is government interference in markets, plain and simple, dressed up as a crusade for economic freedom.
Greed is Not Good.
All these examples point to a singular, uncomfortable truth: it’s not about small versus big government. It’s about greed and control. When lawmakers deregulate industries, they’re not freeing markets but enabling corporate exploitation. When they legislate individual choice, they’re not protecting society but restricting freedom. And when they do both simultaneously, they reveal who they’re really working for: not the people, but the rich and powerful.
Bad Governance is Bad Business
This isn’t just bad governance; it’s bad business for a democracy. A government that prioritizes corporate interests over individual freedoms erodes public trust and stifles innovation. A society that bans books and bodies while letting businesses run amok isn’t a free society. It’s a society controlled by those with the most money and the least accountability.
So, the next time you hear a politician extolling the virtues of “small government,” ask yourself: small for whom? Because when it comes to banning books and bodies, but not unfettered corporate greed, their agenda isn’t just hypocritical — it’s dangerous. So, let’s ban the political BS because it’s never been about the size of government, just the overreach of corporate greed.
