THE RECORD
August 15, 2001

Fiat Lux

by Ed Deak

People who read my writings are often surprised to find that I am a very dedicated and strong private enterpriser and have been an independent businessman in BC since 1957. Private enterprise and what is falsely called "free" enterprise have nothing in common.

In private enterprise a person, family, or group of people get together to produce a product, or provide a needed service for the benefit of the community. Their main objective is to use their labour and incentive to earn a living, provide employment and make a certain amount of profit for the survival of the business. This profit is not their right to grab at any cost, but a freely and voluntarily given reward by society for work well done. This is rational and real life economics.

In contrast the often claimed and proudly proclaimed purpose of so called free enterprise is to extort profits from society at any cost, to knock down anybody who gets in the way and the constant growth of the company to prevent takeovers and to increase dividends. These corporations employ thousands of mindbenders, control the media and own the governments to brainwash the public that they are the real economy, their profits are God given rights and anybody who dares to question their actions is a commie pinko criminal.

Well, I will be happy to compare my communist fighting record with anybody's. As I haven't laid down in front of the commies I have no intention to lay myself peacefully down in the front of another bunch of crooks posturing as the angels of freedom. I have heard the word "freedom" misused by fascists, nazis, communists and now by capitalists. The only difference between them is the colour of their flags and the name of their prophets. I fought the communist crooks for 45 years of my life and intend to fight the capitalist crooks for the rest. Even If I won't live to see a better world, as least I won't knock at the Pearly Gates with inaction on my conscience.

Big business, especially the multinational kind is built today on a pyramid of lies, deceit, fraud, confidence tricks, violence, robbery, destruction and even murder. There are reports coming on every day of private armies of the oil companies in the Sudan and Nigeria, just to name two, destroying communities, killing thousands so the shareholders in America and Europe can pay publicists to sing their praises.

I love chocolate, but it makes me feel guilty because I know that just about every piece we eat is the result of bona fide child slavery in Africa. We even know the amounts the farmers pay for children kidnapped in other countries. Yet, in our media the corporations who use these tactics are praised as the creators of wealth and corporate citizens, who are welcomed by our governments as the creators of prosperity.

It is a mathematical impossibility to "create" profits. They are not made, but taken from others, by adding them on the top of costs and are inflationary. When a company shows record profits they cheat the public by overcharging. It always surprises me when small busines people support the demands of the big guys. In my 45 years in business I have seen very few businesses and lives ruined by government actions, but hundreds and thousands by corporations. This is written off as the beneficial results of competition. War and crime are the topmost levels of economic competition and as far I am concerned many, if not most of corporate boards are just milder versions of the Mafia.

Now, let's look at the situation brought on by the just announced 20 percent duty put on our lumber by the US government. Our politicians are screaming their heads off at both the federal and provincial levels that it is a blackmail and how they are going to fight it at the WTO and so on. The problem is that they are lying to pacify the public. As I wrote months ago, this duty is a small step in the process of the colonization and absorbtion of Canada by the USA, with the full co-operation of our federal and most provincial governments. Yes, including that of the BC government.

The coming propaganda spiel will be that our saviour will be the WTO and the now negotiated FTAA and GATS treaties that will prevent any such future actions and we shall be all wealthy and prosperous forever. To make our economy super efficient and wealth creating, we'll have to do away with the border and get rid of our inefficient Canadian Dollar. Let the American bankers handle our affairs, they are so much better at it than we are. All these will bring us freedom, democracy and prosperity. Yes, just like the NAFTA.

There are 160 items on the GATS negotiating table to be liberalized and removed from public control. Basically, anything you can't drop on your toes will be up for sale to multinational service providers. Health and education are at the top of the list. The reason our universal health system has been systematically robbed of funds is not because there is no money, but as a long term plan to make it so bad that people will scream for privatization. The same for the schools. American service providers are already publishing figures in their magazines, calculating the windfall profits they will reap in Canada.
Yes, kiddies, from the pockets of you and me, while we are waiting for a merciful end.

Copyright (c) 2001, West's International