The Citizen's Freedoms

The question is, do corporate executives,
provided they stay within the law, have
responsibilities in their business activities
other than to make as much money for
their stockholders as possible? And my
answer to that is, no, they do not.
— Milton Friedman, 1912-2006

From the favelas of Rio to the slums of Sadr City,
I have fought for freedom
— the freedom to eat patented food,
the freedom to drink privatized water,
the freedom to vote in celebrity elections for
more deregulation,
more restructuring,
more downsizing,
more outsourcing.

I have fought for the freedom to be made redundant,
the freedom to be dismissed by txt,
the freedom to lose my home and meager possessions,
the freedom to sleep on the street
with 15 surveillance cameras set at strategic angles
to keep me safe,
to keep me free.

In the free-enterprise accommodation of the packing crate,
I am free from all
central planners,
building inspectors,
benefit assessors,
trade unionists,
customs officials and abominable tariff barriers.