Yes but those "administration fees" (or kickback or whatever you want
to call them) of some of the profits doesn't make the government the
party who wanted, proposed and ultimately benefits the most from the
creation of a monopoly.
Here's an analogy:
If money could influence the fundamental regulating rules of baseball,
some wealthy/ advertising market rich team, like Steinbrunner's Yankees,
would propose that they deserved to have more players on the field than
a poorer / smaller media market team.
They would do so because the object of the sport is superficially to win
more games and with more players on the field, that would happen. Since
winning all the time and losing none is the ultimate goal, the ultimate
goal would be to outnumber the opposing team in number of players by a
99.99 to .01 ratio.
But what would happen to the sport of baseball if that was allowed?
For everyone but the Yankees, it wouldn't be an enjoyable sport anymore
and no one would want to watch so baseball as a sport would die and
sports fans would watch a sport that was fun to watch ... a true sport
whose rules regulated the game fairly to make sure that it remained a
true competition. And even the Yankees would be out of business in that
scenario.
Business, like sports, only works if all teams/ business are guaranteed
a level playing field and a fair chance to compete and that depends on a
neutral umpire/ governance to regulate and enforce the rules that are
made to protect everyone's common interest rather than the individual's
ability to maximize profit or wins.
Matthew Taylor wrote:
Because the business interests agree to give the government some of
the take in the case of things like cable franchise fees?
On Mar 28, 2008, at 1:17 PM, db wrote:
What is the motivation for a government to want a monopoly of business?
Government ends up granting monopolies after business... who has the
maximation of profit/ cornering the market motivation ... eventually
gets its way through much lobbying/ dispensing of campaign funds to
government etc...
It's the businesses that have the motivation and are constantly
proposing mergers, not the other way around...
db
Matthew Taylor wrote:
Um, no. Until government stuck its hand in and granted exclusive
access via regulation, multiple cable companies had the option of
entering a market. Stupid government regulators and politicians
bought the false argument that absent a monopoly no one would try to
build a system.
On Mar 28, 2008, at 11:49 AM, db wrote:
Effective regulation IS what prevents monopolies.
"Assigned" monopolies have come to be because business interests
now fund politicians' elections so they get their way. Bigger and
fewer companies makes business more money ... at least in the short
term.
db
Matthew Taylor wrote:
Would that it were so easy.
I have cable. My choice is that, or dial-up or satellite download
dial-up upload. I am too far out in the country for DSL to happen
any time soon.
What we need is more competition (no more assigned monopolies),
not more regulation.
I don't think I have a right to a fast net connection. I am
willing to pay for one, but currently no one has an incentive to
sell me one.
On Mar 28, 2008, at 9:41 AM, Tom Piwowar wrote:
Anyone who has cable today ought to be searching for and lobbying
for
getting something in the future that offers a fixed rate.
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