Capitalism should not be blamed for privileges created by government.

Comment “Capitalism” and we’ll send you an article that explores this further. Free-market capitalism rests on private property, voluntary exchange, competition, and open entry. Businesses succeed by persuading consumers to buy from them. Cronyism works differently. Subsidies, bailouts, protective tariffs, special tax treatment, and regulations that block competitors allow firms to pursue politicians instead of customers. Being pro-market therefore does not mean defending every corporation. It means defending competition and opposing political favoritism. When a company succeeds because consumers freely reward it, that is capitalism. When it succeeds because government gives it special advantages, that is cronyism.