# Morals, Greed and Corporations

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morals-greed-and-corporations/596347>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [September 15, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morals-greed-and-corporations/596347 "2011-09-15T00:31:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morals-greed-and-corporations/596347/21 "2011-09-16T23:25:25Z")

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> [@Eonwe](#):
>
> I’m confused by this. So he’s just some dude who lives nearby?

Yes. But we have to use a portion of his road to get to the site.

ETA: I double checked my OP and I am pretty clear about this in a few parts. I’m not sure why it’s confusing some people.

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**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morals-greed-and-corporations/596347/22 "2011-09-16T23:41:34Z")

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The landowner is charging what that market will bear. That’s free enterprise, baby.

If he’s charging ridiculous prices for his work HIRE SOMEONE ELSE.

And it’s not his fault that the company dismantled their other source of access to the property. They made a stupid business decision and locked themselves into relying on him to provide access. Next time they’ll be smarter.

FWIW, I’m probably farther left than 90% of the board. Free enterprise is, by nature, predatory and ruthless. If you don’t like it, change the playing field. But don’t guilt someone for playing the game successfully.

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**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morals-greed-and-corporations/596347/23 "2011-09-16T23:45:13Z")

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Yeah, I agree, he had them by the nuts for sure, and they just played along because they didn’t want to piss him off and have the access taken away.

Either way, the visit today went well and look like closure will happen soon, so we will no longer have to deal with him. Unfortunately, in another idiotic agreement from years ago, the company agreed to pave his access road, so we still have to do that this fall.

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**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\
**Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morals-greed-and-corporations/596347/24 "2011-09-17T12:50:42Z")

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> [@septimus](#):
>
> However, on this very board you can find Dopers arguing that a rational operator in the free market should attempt to maximize gain. Indeed some would argue that Landowner, if a corporation, would have a fiduciary obligation to maximize shareholder profit. In that case the only reason for restraint would be fear that adverse financial consequences (e.g. bad publicity or litigation) would exceed the profit.

Well, yeah. This. And I’m not being ironic.

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