Exactly what I was thinking when reading this story. And not only was each step along the way to the pencil a result of direct and carefully planned action, th

Exactly what I was thinking when reading this story. And not only was each step along the way to the pencil a result of direct and carefully planned action, the side effect of pencils from rail cars is only made possible at all because pencils are economically viable. Otherwise they may not (still) exist. There is a certain harsh reality to this free market—it does not favour quality or popularity or even efficiency.. The blade falls on just how much rent can be extracted at each step without nudging itself into oblivion. What is the practical difference (for a pawn like myself) between a system or a person giving directorial control over the allocation of resources?