On Wed, May 11, 2005 at 12:56:09PM -0700, Todd Walton wrote: > -snip of some murky pro-monopoly reasoning-
> I have to ask, though, if government has a legitimate role in making > the economy function better, not just punishing wrong-doing, then why > limit it to monopolies? Why not just say, "The government shall have > the power to create or destroy any business, and take whatever other > actions it deems necessary to insure the strongest possible economic > functioning of the nation."? Perhaps the Soviet Union's socialist > system was simply administered badly, and there's nothing wrong with > it in principle? > Omygawd yes! First of all, it's constitutional both in regulating interstate commerce and promoting the general welfare. Secondly, all tort law and much criminal law are about economic activity. Finally, copyright and patent (both in the constitution) are economic issues. The government is, must, and should be neck deep in economic issues. What else is government for besides national security? The only rational argument against "the Soviet Union's socialist system" is that it didn't work economically. Economics is about human behavior, and the Marxist theory of labor==value is dead wrong and leads to disastrous policies. I reject knee-jerk anti-communism as a religious belief, and a pretty nasty one at that. Communism is lousy economics. That is the sole reason for avoiding it. > To repeat: Why is government limited to busting up monopolies in the > interests of the economy's health? Why don't they have the power to > bust up *any* business? > Umm ... it does. Drug trade is illegal (a foolish policy IMHO, but a fine example of a busted-up business). Pyramid schemes are illegal. Protection rackets are illegal. I'd like to see a couple of other business models busted up myself. I think patent and copyright is being abused horribly. I'd strip big pharma of its patents in a second if they didn't change their ways (this would have to be part of a general reform of health care laws, including the FDA). I don't have much use for the hyper-coddled MPAA and RIAA. Professional associations that practice price fixing would be taxed for their monopoly abuses. I'd be a terror, you betcha. I'd never be able to get elected, and if I was, I'd be assassinated (by a crazed lone gunman, of course ;) -- Lan Barnes [EMAIL PROTECTED] Linux Guy, SCM Specialist 858-354-0616 -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
