Quote - Sure -- corporations can be self-serving and greedy.  But government can be tyrannical and power-mad -- not to mention greedy.

People who look to the government to save them from evil corporations are like chickens looking to a gigantic wolf to protect them from a small fox.  A very small fox, by comparison to the damage that the wolf is capable of doing.

Well ... we're getting terribly off-topic, but ... while I agree up to a point, I think big multi-national corporations and big government are sort of made for each other, especially in the complex, high-tech world in which we live in which any self-serving or greedy decisions on the part of a few so called "very small foxes" can adversely affect the privacy of, or the health of (and/or cause the deaths of) millions (much like big government can) -- i.e., so long as they (big corporations and big government) are battling it out with each other, it helps keep things a little more in balance.

Of course things can get out of balance the other way, too, and it is always arguable as what is and is not in balance, but if you eliminate, say, big government, or allow the government agenda to be taken over by corporate interests -- one or the other of which so many seem to argue for these days -- it leaves no one with enough clout or resources to battle those "very small foxes" effectively.

And then there is also the argument that, however corrupt, representative government officials are supposed to have to answer to and for the common interests of all their constituents (and often do, even if usually too little too late) -- i.e., that "gigantic wolf" you mentioned is supposed to be us collectively -- whereas corporate officials answer (mostly) to their stock holders and own narrower interests, which may or may not take into account the interests of the commonwealth (oh, yes, and they sometimes answer to said government officials, but only when they are effectively in the fray).

(Of course all this is off-topic ... and I probably shouldn't have said anything ... but it's just that I've noticed you frequently say things political for no discernible reason ... and (since I've been observing at least) nearly always go unchallenged ... and I know my point of view's probably "ignorant" from your point of view ... so flame away ... or whatever ...)