Are Corporations a Threat to Democracy?

[Beskar]

You both are right (and wrong). The government can prevent/remove monopolies such as when it broke up Standard oil and AT&T, it can also create monopolies through corporate lobbying manipulating the system and altering regulation (such as how the Sherman Anti Trust Act actually crushed more unions then monopolies until alterations later in the early 20th century). The free market does not prevent monopolies, the entire Gilded Age shows us that, so it is probably for all of our best interests to make sure the government is doing its job right instead of distrusting it.

Exactly hitting the nail on the head. You need regulation, you need to make sure they don't become too powerful so have that much control.

The free-market also caused the credit crunch, the free-market caused the great depression and the 21st century depression (the one we are in). The companies served only themselves and as they destroyed the world around us, we had to pay billions to try to stop us from returning to the Dark Ages.

Only thing free the free market does is allow those with power freedom to do what ever they want, the power to ignore law, the power to exploit, the power to abuse, the power to destroy what is good for profit. Freedom to fuel and fund war in Africa sot hey can sell their goods, Freedom for off-shore slave labour camps for the latest Nike trainer, Freedom for corruption.