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>This seems to be strong evidence that government is better at keeping trade free than an 'unregulated free market'? X isn't perfect, so Y must be better? Tha

>This seems to be strong evidence that government is better at keeping trade free than an 'unregulated free market'? X isn't perfect, so Y must be better? That makes no sense. I'm pro-free market because I go into the grocery store and see an entire row of bread. In communism, there is an entire row of people waiting for bread. Free market == abundance, government == rationing. I use communism as the example because it is the opposite of free-market and highlights the historical (not ideological) differences between the two systems. Free markets have a triage effect. When supplies are limited, prices go up, and if you really need something you can still get it (but you'll pay more). The opposite of that system is one of price fixing and rationing. You may need something more than me, but the price is fixed at X, so there needs to be a lottery to decide who gets the limited supply. If I win, I get to watch fail videos on youtube all day. If you win, you get to run your online business that day. ISPs are struggling to keep up with demand. They've been trying to price their services in a way to triage demand while they build more capacity (which is mostly held up by local governments). Now the FCC will step in and make sure that I can watch my youtube videos all day and make it illegal for the ISP to favor your clearly more important traffic.

nickthemagicman 12y ago
Is this the bread 'choice' you're talking about? http://i.imgur.com/pnMMj.jpg http://i.imgur.com/pnMMj.jpg Every thing in the supermarket is created by a small amount of companies. The rest is all marketing. Unregulated free market doesn't stay free for long because competition is rapidly consolidated, squashed, or absorbed by larger fish into mega monopolies. A free market is just as crazy as communism as both have the end result of a small group of people controlling the market.
- IanDrake 12y ago
  Cool info-graphic, it proves nothing other than a few parent companies own a lot of brands across different food categories. Why? Because no one will buy Pepsi bread or Kraft soda. You have plenty of choices, at least 5 distinct parent companies that make different brands, smaller and still independent brands, a small local bakery, buy the ingredients and make it yourself, or start a bread business and sell out to Kraft and buy yourself a private island. When everyone is waiting in line for bread it's because they have no choice. Is it possible that you're too spoiled to see how spoiled you are? Are you one of those 99%'ers that protested against big companies in the rain wearing your North Face jacket, Merrell boots, and tweeted about how much big companies suck from your iphone?

nickthemagicman 12y ago

Is this the bread 'choice' you're talking about? http://i.imgur.com/pnMMj.jpg http://i.imgur.com/pnMMj.jpg Every thing in the supermarket is created by a small amount of companies. The rest is all marketing. Unregulated free market doesn't stay free for long because competition is rapidly consolidated, squashed, or absorbed by larger fish into mega monopolies. A free market is just as crazy as communism as both have the end result of a small group of people controlling the market.

IanDrake 12y ago
Cool info-graphic, it proves nothing other than a few parent companies own a lot of brands across different food categories. Why? Because no one will buy Pepsi bread or Kraft soda. You have plenty of choices, at least 5 distinct parent companies that make different brands, smaller and still independent brands, a small local bakery, buy the ingredients and make it yourself, or start a bread business and sell out to Kraft and buy yourself a private island. When everyone is waiting in line for bread it's because they have no choice. Is it possible that you're too spoiled to see how spoiled you are? Are you one of those 99%'ers that protested against big companies in the rain wearing your North Face jacket, Merrell boots, and tweeted about how much big companies suck from your iphone?