To the editor,
A common yet questionable refrain prevails among capitalist nation governments and corporate circles: Best business practices, including what’s best for consumers, are best decided by business decision-makers.
This was most recently proven false with Facebook prioritising the expansion of its already huge profit margin over the health of its younger users.
It was proven false when long-term care homes put profit maximization before their residents’ well-being, neglect that resulted in needlessly numerous COVID-19 deaths.
And proven most false when the pharmaceutical industry knowingly pushed its new, very addictive opiate painkiller.
Western business mentality and, by extension, collective society allow the well-being of human beings to be decided by corporate profit-margin measures. And our governments mostly dare not intervene, perhaps because they fear being labelled anti-business by our avidly capitalist culture.
Sadly, maximizing profits by risking the health or lives of product consumers will likely always be a significant part of the big business beast’s nature. But that does not mean that we should give in to it. Rather, it should be a call to society, and especially our elected leaders, that the economy and jobs be there foremostly for people, not for corporate profit’s sake.
Frank Sterle Jr.,
White Rock, B.C.
newsroom@clearwatertimes.com
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