> Low prices good - high prices bad. > > Victoria Heller > North Oaks"
Chuck Holtman wrote: > Market economics 101: social welfare is optimized by the market only when > all costs are internalized in prices. > > If this means the poor need to pay more for products, the answer is not to > make stuff artificially cheaper for everyone by pushing costs off on > exploited workers, communities, and those who breathe the air and drink the > water near factories; it is to work toward a society where there is not such > a vast maldistribution of wealth (and, no, there is no strong correlation > between the accumulation of wealth and the doing of worthwhile things). > Unfortunately, for the past several decades our leaders have been pushing > non-stop in the opposite direction. > Mark Anderson replies: I discussed whether big business is bad for us with a few people on this List a month or two ago. We couldn't resolve it then, or even get very far into the subject, and stay within the domain of Mpls. I'll just let it be known that I think most of your comments are 100% wrong. I agree that one must look at externalized costs as well as internal ones to fully determine the societal value of particular business. Most of the anti-big people seem to think that big companies could only compete if they cheated somehow. But what I learned in economics 101 is that there is indeed such a thing as economies of scale, and thus there are real cost savings when one increases in size. There are also many disadvantages to large size, which is why most commerce today takes place between pretty small firms (the relative value of big vs. small depends on the product or service being sold). What Vicky said in the first place is a succinct description of my position. And even on this very leftist List, I think there's lots of others who agree. Go, Wal-Mart! Or rather, come Wal-Mart, to Mpls! Mark V Anderson Bancroft REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
