‘Big business’ as troubling as big government

Many people these days choose to see “big government” as the source of all ills while remaining comfortably blind to the damage caused by “big business” to the environment, to society and individuals.

It makes sense that “big business” buys as many politicians as possible. Even better if they could get one of their own into the highest office in the land. But that we breathe mostly clean air today came about because citizens, outraged by corporate pollution and indifference, prodded their government into enacting air quality standards.

The same battles were fought, and continue to be fought, for clean water, food and product safety.

In all these battles, government acted, slowly and sometimes reluctantly, to protect its citizens while some businesses acted, swiftly and sometimes viciously, to protect their profits.

Republican lobbyist Grover Norquist has said, “We don’t need a fearless leader ... we just need a president to sign stuff.”

Maybe, we don’t need a fearless leader, but we sure could use a real Democrat who believes in ordinary people as citizens and in a creative, if sometimes tense, balance between “big business” and government.

We do have that man in Barack Obama, and I urge my fellow citizens to keep him in office.

Maria-Viktoria Abricka

Mundelein