They've reached a new level of corporate power. We're either facing large companies that monopolize not only the economy but also the way of life. They're the companies that use capitalism as a tool to get to the top and toss it in the dumpster in order to stay there. Likewise, we then have capitalism going to extremes by being simply overwhelming, and some going even further by bringing in competition to areas where it doesn't belong at all.
             In Snow Crash, for example we have the mafia heavily involved with the pizza business, which "...doesn't have any competition. Competition goes against the Mafia ethic." Now as you may know, Uncle Enzo and his family business are based in America, the country by the people, and for the people. The country where every high school drop-out and trailer park living jobless citizen is supposed to have the same hopes of getting rich as the next guy. But if you have the mafia going about their business, getting rid of their competition, and creating some deranged system of signed releases, debts, and favors...which all comes with "being part of the family", capitalism fizzles out and your left with the flat overly sweet giant monopolizing family that far too many people are forced to be apart of.
             Snow Crash, is Stephenson taking a legitimate stab at predicting the future of our country, while with some parts, a stretch of the imagination enhances the prediction, instances like this can be seen as scarily possible, "Hello, everyone," he says cheerfully, "I don't think I've met all of you. Just got here this morning and now I'm on my way back again!" "Who are you?" Tony says. The new guy looks crestfallen. "Greg Ritchie," he says. Then, when no one seems to react, he jogs their memory. "President of the United States." This makes it easy to see how government and politics have been put on the ...