We are a long way away from Milton Friedman’s dictum that a corporation’s responsibility is to turn a profit. Implied in that is the requirement that the firm uses ethical and legal strategies to achieve that goal. But to act as an agent to bring about social change was thought to be outside the firm’s goals.
This is the opposite of what we see today. Businesses leap into the arena of political advocacy. At times, it seems the leaders of these firms are far more interested in being political activists, usually for the left, than business leaders. Not surprisingly, the gun debate has provided fertile ground for such business executives to plow.
As companies line up to pile on to infringe on American’s rights to keep and bear arms, news such as what you’ll find on page two comes really as no surprise.