why we should care

On Thursday the question, why should we care that only six or so corporations control the food industry in the United States? At the time I knew I disagreed with the practice but couldn’t quite explain what it was that I disagreed with. Now that I’ve had some time to reflect I think the main reason I am so against the consolidation of the food industry isn’t the questionable food being produced, but the power that these corporations have been given over so many farmers and workers. These corporations have created a monopoly and monopolies always lead to abuse. The documentary we watched showed just how in control of farmers, corporations like Monsanto are. Controlling how they farm, what they farm and who they sell to. There’s no freedom in this industry no room for growth or profits for farmers, just more and more money and control for Monsanto. Any farmer who refuses to do business with Monsanto is left with no other alternative other than finding a different line of work. This monopoly of the market has led to an extortion of American farmers the very people who feed this nation are being pushed around and kept in debt. We have already seen this scenario play out during the industrial revolution of the early 20^th century, where companies gained a complete monopoly of an industry and abused its workers forcing them to work in deplorable conditions knowing they had absolutely no other alternative to make a living. As a nation we insisted on change and demanded some form of regulation to prevent extreme consolidations of power . So why have we allowed it to happen again despite anti trust laws?. I like capitalism; I really believe that the hardest working should be rewarded. However that’s not what going on here at all. Big business and the government are so intertwined that I no longer have any faith in our government to interject when necessary. This country could use another president Teddy Roosevelt, a leader who represents the interests of all Americans and not just corporations. Secondly these corporations have become so powerful that they have become immune to scrutiny or criticism. Any person who dares to question their practices or products is financially destroyed by these corporation’s lawyers who have no qualms about spending millions in legal fees to ensure that they never have to see a courtroom. Who can stand up to them, what farmer has the resources to fight against an injustice when it means millions in legal fees? The mass consolidation of the food industry is wrong for the simple reason that it has centralized too much power and money into too few people’s hands.