Re: OT: Free Market

["D'Arcy J.M. Cain" <darcy () druid net>]

On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:37:09 -0500 (CDT)
Joe Greco <jgreco () ns sol net> wrote:
> > > The problem with the free market is that it doesn't work in the public's
> > > best interest, but rather in the best interest of the companies involved.
> >
> > Say What?  You talk about government mandated monopolies, government
> > subsidies and massive government regulation and then point to it as a
> > failure of the free market?  Do you even know what "free market" means?
>
> Yes, I do.  The free market is a system where corporations like to take 
> the easiest road to do the least work to maximize profits, while everyone
> else is doing the same thing.  Normally, this might merely result in the
> sort of situation you have with Wal-Mart vs K-Mart vs Target, where the
> consumer gets to trade off different variables (quality of goods, price
> of goods, condition of store, etc).  In the case of telecommunications,
> however, certain telecommunications companies looked around at the situation
> and determined it was most easily accomplished by lobbying the government
> for pseudo-monopoly status, in exchange for promises of an "open network,"

But if the government is in a position to "grant" monopoly status how
can you call that "free?"  Free from what?

> The free market created this situation, because, without separation of

Companies lobbied for this situation.  The non-free market (i.e.
government) forces everyone else to stay out of the market.  Force !=
free.

> If it isn't readily apparent that I understand what "free market" means,
> and how our government has caved in to give us anything BUT a free market,
> well, sigh.  The free market has a really tough time operating in an
> environment where the government ultimately enables and gives a blank
> check to monopolies.

Perhaps we are just in violent agreement disagreeing over terminology
then but to me a free market is free of government interference.  You
seem to be describing a "market" that responds to the given situation,
not a free market.

This should probably be taken off list.

-- 
D'Arcy J.M. Cain <darcy () druid net>         |  Democracy is three wolves
http://www.druid.net/darcy/                |  and a sheep voting on
+1 416 425 1212     (DoD#0082)    (eNTP)   |  what's for dinner.