North American Network Operators Group Date Prev | Date Next | Date Index | Thread Index | Author Index | Historical Re: OT: Free Market
On Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:37:09 -0500 (CDT) Joe Greco <[email protected]> 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 <[email protected]> | 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.
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