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Author: Gerald V. Todd
Date:  December 31, 2011

Topic category:  Free Market Economics

Capitalism Under Fire for its Aberrations
George Soros groups' funded OWS demonstrators could target their wrath much better without fouling their own and everyone else nest. Corporations went off the rail not in their products and profits, but the financial manipulations and takeovers that tore the heart out of many companies.


I started to worry about corporations back in the 80′s when the surge of hostile takeovers began. Takeovers could be a means for a company to acquire products and processes that enhance their consumer offerings and their bottom line – the two should be inseparable. Innovation was obviously coming from the smaller start-ups, not bureaucratic monsters who at least paid well for many of their acquisitions. Most hostile takeovers were aimed at financial profiteering and eliminating competition.

A recent example of Wall Street incompetence is Bolthouse Farms of Bakersfield, California – one of the pioneers in creating the #1 snack food – baby carrots. Before “baby carrots”, the bulk of the carrot crop wasn’t pretty as fresh produce and not enough demand for canned and frozen carrots or soup vegetables. The perfectly edible culls were sold for cattle feed at $17/ton. Baby carrots are made from those culls by grinding them into shape and bagging them for snacks. The grindings are used for carotene, food supplements, additives, coloring, etc.

Bill Bolthouse had a happy crew of a few thousand employees, locally designed and built harvesting and processing equipment, donated generously to local causes including his Education Foundation and even virtually built a new Christian high school from the ground up.

Being in his 80′s, he sold out to a group of Wall Street speculators who have run the company and employee morale into the ground. My point is that financial manipulators often covered by bad law (or successful lobbying) are what tear the heart out of corporations. Then suddenly the corporation and its offerings are considered evil.

Maybe a few lines from my new book, “Weeds, Wheat and Wisdom” will help us take a fresh look:

“Capitalism has little trouble getting a bad name. The ignorant victims of "progressive" education have not been taught the true value of capital properly applied. Rioters in the streets are screaming for anarchy of any kind to replace “the evils of capitalism.” Capital is only evil when its purpose is perverted – when money is coveted above things of substance and meaning that capital should be serving.

The true definition of Capitalism is in High-Finance’s role in applying medium of exchange as the servant of vision, courage, ideas, savings, philanthropy, investment and commerce! The love of money for its own sake is still the root of all evil.

OWS’ers and TEA Partiers might have noticed the same problems, but one group creates filth and chaos, the other tries to make apple sauce, including leaving the kitchen cleaner than when they started peeling the apples. The dung throwers and apple sauce makers may have a different approach, but apparently one group doesn't know shit from apple butter!

Gerald V. Todd


Biography - Gerald V. Todd

Jerry is a retired engineer with strong experience in environmental innovation which he still applies today with 2 clean water and energy saving technologies. His life avocation in writing and study of philosophical and biblical themes as they apply to the body politic's spiritual warfare. He survived stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2006; now in excellent health. A graduate of the University of Illinois (1958, Industrial Engineering), Jerry had post graduate studies at both the University of San Francisco and the University of Santa Clara in California between 1961 and 1963 (Logic, Marketing). As co Founder and seminar presenter he was awarded a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Valley Christian University operating under California private-post secondary statutes for mid career student, VCU was the pioneer external degree school for mid career students. Its course structures were picked up by several well known Christian colleges. Hosted local broadcast radio and TV shows, "Religion on the Line" and "The News Firm" (jointly with wife, Joanne), respectively. Jerry has published several books that are available at Amazon. Jerry is available to speak as a visiting lecturer at the high school, college or community organization level. Jerry is married 55 years to Joanne Dean Todd – 3 children, 8 grandchildren.


Copyright © 2011 by Gerald V. Todd
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