> cannot reach an agreement with a single air carrier? That's
> what happened under Reagan, and he had to stop it (I think twice).
>
> You should really question what you mean by the word 'free'
> when you say free market. It is commonly interpreted as a
> completely hands off approach to economics, and the reality
> in America is, has been, and will be far from that meaning.
> It's like saying we live under a 'democracy'.
>
> If you want a truly free market, they have that in France. No
> slam against the French or Europeans, but when French railway
> workers strike, the railways completely shut down (French
> railways are functionally analogous to U.S. airlines).
> Sometimes the shutdown lasts for months.
And somehow France is still here... (ok, sorry for the sarcasm. ;) I
certainly agree that if air travel shut down our economy would be hurt. But
isn't that how labor exercises control over management? It should work like
this:
Air Pilots want more money.
They strike.
People get mad because they can't fly.
People exert pressure on the companies to raise their rates...
or....
Company A sees an opportunity. They pay the pilots what they want
and all of a sudden, only company A is in the air. Therefore they reap huge
benefits by getting people's travel dollars.
> No one should be forced to do anything. I support unions and
> the right of workers to organize. I believe we should be so
> free we can do just about anything that doesn't cause
> physical or emotional harm to someone else.
Ok, but who defines emotional harm? If I say you are harming me right now,
it certainly doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong, it just means I'm
complaining. What about economic harm for social reasons? Like when African
Americans boycotted the bus after Rosa Parks? Didn't that cause economic
harm to the bus companies? What if African American bus drivers had went on
strike - should they have been forced back to work? Certainly striking for
freedom is different from striking for more money but I think you get my
point.
-r
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