My father reviled it, but I always wanted to be in big business.

As I did in the face of Papa’s chiding, I would have shrugged off these words from Max Weber from a century ago:

“It’s utterly ridiculous to attribute elective affinity with democracy or even freedom (in any sense of the word) in defining today’s advanced capitalism . . .

“Rather the question can be phrased only this way: How can democracy and freedom be maintained in the long run under the dominance of advanced capitalism? They can be maintained only if a nation is always determined not to be ruled like a herd of sheep.”

I haven’t read anything more poignant than those words.

My father was a Russian Jewish revolutionist — a Marxist. He did not subscribe to communism. He didn’t, and I don’t, see any difference between fascism and communism.

As for capitalism . . .

As conceived by Adam Smith, Ricardo and David Hume, it is without any question in my mind the greatest economic system ever conceived — for the reason that it comports with the greed instinct.

Once we recognize and accept this we must conclude as evidence indicates that even this great system needs restraint, as does greed.

The key to capitalism’s success is competition. But look around and see: We may have had capitalism in its best incarnation at one point. That is no longer.

What we have is monopolism, which began developing after the Roosevelt era, with the roots of bigness becoming omnipresent.

Take a company like General Motors. As it goes along it gets bigger and bigger, and what do you end up with? A bunch of highly salaried people satisfied with the status quo and having lost their commitment to quality, excellence and competitiveness.

Bigness doesn’t support the sort of capitalism that made this nation the envy of all others — neither in competitive fire nor in innovation.

While our lumbering auto giants comported as if they ruled the land, Japanese automakers emerged as agents of true innovation.

Instead of being satisfied with what is, they committed themselves to determine what can be and will be.

And now, billions and billions of tax dollars are being poured into American business because, clearly, too much is not enough.

Certainly that applies to the CEOs and executives receiving $5 million and $10 million bonuses — these even when their businesses are crumbling under their own weight.

Are the Japanese smarter than we are? I don’t think so. I do think they are more committed to capitalism than we are.

Whether it is keeping afloat a bloated, monopolistic business giant or looking the other way in the face of obscene bonuses afforded executives, we as a society have concluded this: Too much is not enough.

Regarding bailing out these too-big-to-fail companies, government may have to rethink its position.

I know what it is to build a business. I started a company in 1951. Our resources were scarce and not always available, and it was questioned from day to day if we could make it, but we did.

We did so by staying true to the training and admonitions of my father, that everyone on a company’s payroll should be treated fairly and equitably.

Now, just think about it: Trillions of dollars have been poured into American business in the face of dishonesty and ignorance that cost employees’ their livelihoods or at least put them in jeopardy.

Notice that even today when these companies are taken over by the government, those who had been in power still received tremendous bonuses. Ultimately who had to pay? The public.

And think about those hundred million people who are poor in the richest country in the world. So often they don’t have even the smallest opportunity.

You think about the thousands of people who have lost their homes. What kind of a life can they have when they’ve lost their most precious material possession?

We didn’t think about helping those folks. All we could think about was ensuring that the rich would get richer.

Please understand that I’m not a “do-gooder.” I make no pretense. I’m committed to a capitalistic society which provides that everyone has an opportunity.

But is ours that society anymore?

For example, if you wanted to start an automobile factory, you couldn’t do it.

To start the company I did, you would need $15 million to $20 million to get it off the ground today.

What our country needs, more than anything, is opportunity for those who want to work, who are creative and who want to build something, like the company I built.

It doesn’t have to be the way things are today. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow. We just have to understand that ours is a capitalistic society that cannot tolerate when too few have too much and too many have too little.

Capitalism? It’s the best system of all. Yes, let’s give capitalism a chance.

Bernard Rapoport is a member of the Board of Contributors, Central Texans who write columns regularly for the Tribune-Herald. He is chairman emeritus and founder of American Income Life Insurance Co.