I could never think of anyone who has literally stolen almost $5 billion dollars from the taxpayers of the US a hero... I would consider him to be the greatest huckster of all time no matter what products he brought to market. If his products were so good the private markets would have supported his ideas. http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-hy-musk-subsidies-20150531-story.html
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Hi @joelbow, thank you for your comment. I am familiar with the article, and think it's not right to say that he has 'stolen' money from taxpayers. The people who have stolen the money are the politicians. The rest of us, entrepreneurs and normal citizens get to work under a system of law that has been maintained by the politicians. If I get jobless and receive welfare, would you consider me a thief?
A big corporation receiving billions of free money that was taken from ordinary people by government is most certainly theft... the welfare system isn't really a relevant comparison... a more valid comparison would be the big banks receiving trillions in free money from the Federal Reserve so that they could stay solvent after they made bad business decisions which decimated their balance sheets. Big business always gets government to do what they want after lobbying (or more accurately bribing) them to do what they want. The ordinary person has no chance against the banksters and big business. I could provide so many examples of how corrupted the system has become.
I agree with you that our system has become corrupt. Nonetheless, I think the bankers and big businesses that use politics for their personal gains are acting very rational. Within such a system, it would be quite foolish of them not to play the game. I would prefer to lay the blame on the political class. That's one of the reasons why I have become an anarchist: not because I am against big business, but because I know that a society without government will eliminate big business privileges granted by government.
I agree on the point that the corrupt system and the political class are at fault for the mess that we now are in... I would also say that it is misguided to make people like Musk heroes since they played the corrupt system to enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. There are many others who are worthy of being recognized for their business successes without receiving largess from government. f you want to promote Voluntaryism don't use Musk as a poster child for the cause.