Enemies of Capitalism

Capitalism's biggest political enemies are not the firebrand trade unionists spewing vitriol against the system, but the executives in pin-striped suits extolling the virtues of competitive markets with every breath while attempting to extinguish them with every action.

– Raghuram G. Rajan and Luigi Zingales
Saving Capitalism From the Capitalists (2003)

In this week's sift:

• Food-eaters are not a special interest group. Nothing the government does affects you as often and as directly as food policy. So in a democracy, you would expect either that food policy is a perennial campaign issue, or that a pro-consumer consensus takes food out of partisan politics completely. That's not what has happened.
• The Sifted Bookshelf: Republic, Lost by Lawrence Lessig. The last three elections have all been calls for sweeping change, and neither party has been able to deliver it. Why doesn't democracy work any more? And what can be done about it?
• Tagg, You're It. Tagg Romney is getting rich on his own, by running an equity capital firm financed by the big-money contributors to his father's political campaign. See? You'd be rich too if only you were smart enough to think of something like that.
• Slinging Mud at Clean Energy and other short notes. As wind and solar power become more feasible, attacks from dirty-energy industries become more aggressive. Biden's moving Memorial Day message. Obama moves black opinion on same-sex marriage. How the fracking industry puts a university imprimatur on its propaganda. And more.
• Last week's most popular post. If you can't hear it from me ... got 247 view. The most-clicked link was 6 Ridiculous Lies You Believe About the Founding of America.