free markets

From: Smigrodzki, Rafal (SmigrodzkiR@MSX.UPMC.EDU)
Date: Sun Jun 17 2001 - 01:14:59 MDT


Pete McAlpine wrote:

>historically, government intervenes to create and sustain
>monopolies partially at the behest of monopolists pursuing
>"pull", but also because monopolies or cartels of oligopolists are =
>easier to tax. "Regulation" is usually not
>for the consumers, but a device to raise entry and other
>costs....fostering monopoly, reducing competition.

You are right - governments, especially non-democratic ones, thrive in
symbiosis with mono- and oligopolies, for the reasons you mentioned. But a
democratic (or demarchic) government might be sometimes persuaded to serve
the voters... if the corporate power is not too concentrated and focused on
controlling politics (as in tobacco companies).

Rafal Smigrodzki MD-PhD
Dept Neurology University of Pittsburgh
smigrodzkir@msx.upmc.edu



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