America wishes to believe that it is the epitome of capitalism at its best. This, unfortunately, is not true, for in many respects capitalism in an era in which Federal, State, and local governments have an enormous amount of power, resources, as well as the almighty dollar at their beck and call --in addition to the "revolving door" of private enterprise personnel interchangeably taking on the reins of governmental rules and regulation, has transformed capitalism into a construct in which, it is much more about those that wish to transact business and be successful in it, are connected at the hip with those that are an integral part of the actual playing field that business is regulated and conducted in.
This really means that governmental agencies rather than representing the people as a whole, and thereby creating and implementing rules and regulations meant for the benefit of those people, have actually circumvented their duties to often work instead on behalf of the desires of private enterprise to the exclusion of fairness and duty. In other words, the business world knows the value of getting along and going along with governmental agencies and has evolved into doing just that. In addition, governmental agencies understand the value of getting along and going along with private enterprise, for they know that as these enterprises are benefited, economic doors of opportunity open for them, to take personal advantage of.
This thus means that more than ever we live in a quid pro quo capitalistic world, in which governmental agencies bestows favors onto specific corporations, whether that be land grants, taxation rules, labor regulations, or just about anything of value, in return of which government receives inside information as well as the implicit recognition that these corporations now owe specific favors to their government, of which, when that government comes calling, as they will, these corporations will willingly reply.
As a matter of course in a quid pro quo capitalistic society, this thus means, that the big corporations will continue to swallow up the small and innovative corporations, so that these big corporations can not only consolidate their power and increase their market share as well as their profitability, but just as importantly, be that one stop source for the government to turn to, when the government requires "patriotic" help and thereupon calls upon them. For the government, their calling card is ever that these corporations are loyal and obedient to the needs and dictates of that government, for governmental beneficence and cooperation is understood to be, conditional, and those corporations that do not comprehend such, will suffer greatly for their lack of foresight.
For many people, the fact that the government and private enterprise often work hand-in-glove sounds not only efficient, but appropriate, but this misses the forest for the trees, for when the government and private enterprise meld into one, this thus means that the people, are no longer sovereign and thereby masters of a government that is by and for the people, but rather that the government in conjunction with these large corporations, that have joined together, are permitted to extract from the people all that they can get, for that is the only value that they see in them.