Economic cancer

Cancer is not a mysterious thing, coming out of nowhere. In fact, it lies at the core of our being, a part of our basic health. We are constantly generating new cells in our bodies, billions, even trillions over time. We need this form of refreshment to remain healthy and active. Every so often, however, errors occur in the cell division process. Our bodies have the amazing ability to detect such errors and destroy the cells in question. In order for cancer to form, the error-detection and cell destruction process must be compromised.

From an economic standpoint, we can say that entrepreneurism is a form of growth, similar to the growth of cells and organs. Entrepreneurism involves, to continue the biological example, growth and development. Entrepreneurism and its resulting condition, new enterprises, are generative phenomena. Businesses are like the growing cells and organs of the politico-economic system, of our society. As they grow and develop, we are all enriched, as they provide the goods and services that renew and refresh our lives. Such new enterprises grow to the extent that they serve as means of extracting money from the rest us as we justify such transfers in light of available alternatives.

As indicated earlier, such new enterprise growth is similar to the development of new cells and organs in the body. As new organs and tissues grow within the body, they need sources of nourishment and support as are supplied by the body's various circulatory and communications systems. Such benefits are cut off when cells and the organs they come to build are judged to be nefarious and not worthwhile.

Our economic problem is that we lack the mechanism if not the will to allow large organizations to wither and die when they cease to be justified by market means. This is mostly due to the size and political influence of large public and private organizations. In this sense, our economy has cancer. We have big, bloated tumors where we should have valid, fresh, new, and functional economic organs that have formed, evolved if you will, to meet current needs and preferences. Similar to established biological cancers, the big, bad proto-organs (big, politically-propped-up companies) starve out new, more valid enterprises. In fact, they exercise unlimited license to forestall new competition. This is often done in the name of competition.

Unfortunately, given the persistence of cancer as a source of disease, pain, and death, the biological example does not point to obvious solutions with regard to cancer of the economy. The same principles surely apply, however. Some systematic approach to supporting economic constraints is in order. Allowing flailing, but large organizations to subvert the system by political means is clearly counterproductive. We should be especially vigilant in seeing that this doesn't happen.