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.