Originally posted by Eladar
If a company can't survive without money from the government, then perhaps the company shouldn't exist at all.

Which company you know of operates without government assistance?

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
Which company you know of operates without government assistance?

The more government regulations and restrictions that are put on a company the more the government has to assist them if they want them to do as they say and stay in business. We need oil, so the government would be really stupid to drive the oil companies out of business and turn the people against them by putting them all in poverty and driving the country backwards toward the dark ages. 😏

Originally posted by vivify
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/may/12/us-taxpayers-subsidising-worlds-biggest-fossil-fuel-companies

Shell, ExxonMobil and Marathon Petroleum got subsidises granted by politicians who received significant campaign contributions from the fossil fuel industry, Guardian investigation reveals

[b] U.S. taxpayers subsidizing world's biggest foss ...[text shortened]... d gas industries benefited from subsidies of $550bn, four times those given to renewable energy.

Climate change is always going to be with us. Only God can do anything about that. So only a fool would throw money at climate change and expect it to stop changing. 😏

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
Which company you know of operates without government assistance?

How are you defining government assistance?

Do you mean as in "does not get a special tax break or direct funds from the government"?

Do you mean exists in a country where the government has taken tax money to build roads and such?

I'm assuming you mean the 2nd.

Originally posted by Eladar
How are you defining government assistance?

Do you mean as in "does not get a special tax break or direct funds from the government"?

Do you mean exists in a country where the government has taken tax money to build roads and such?

I'm assuming you mean the 2nd.

I do not know of anyone that donates money to the government other than to politicians to influence their decisions and actions. The government demands money from the public be paid to the IRS so they can redistribute and use if for whatever the government sees fit.

Originally posted by Eladar
If a company can't survive without money from the government, then perhaps the company shouldn't exist at all.

Point well made, and that would also apply to the big ones as well.

Originally posted by normbenign
Point well made, and that would also apply to the big ones as well.

So you think companies shouldn't exist?

Originally posted by KazetNagorra
So you think companies shouldn't exist?

What? You can't read. Companies ought to exist, independent of any government, and they can. In most cases, businesses small and large see government as an impediment.

Originally posted by RJHinds
I do not know of anyone that donates money to the government other than to politicians to influence their decisions and actions. The government demands money from the public be paid to the IRS so they can redistribute and use if for whatever the government sees fit.

Campaign finance records indicate that the large corporations make a practice of contributing to both sides. A bit like paying protection money to the mob.