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People frequently confuse price-fixing with monopolies. There is nothing illegal about having a monopoly. What is illegal is forming cartels and collusion to cr
by steve19 12y ago
People frequently confuse price-fixing with monopolies. There is nothing illegal about having a monopoly. What is illegal is forming cartels and collusion to create restraint/constraint of trade [0]
Patents are an example of government granted monopolies (on an idea). The government also grants monopolies to certains businesses or organizations [1]. Government is itself a monopoly of sorts (they don't offer or allow you a choice in Law Enforcement provider).
Boeing may be a domestic Monopoly, but only because the size, scope and IP of the organization is hard to replicate. What would have been illegal if they had colluded with Communication Sat providers or NASA to prevent Musk from starting SpaceX. There is no evidence I can see that would prevent a sufficiently motivated entrepreneur from competing with them in the Aerospace Defense sector. Politicians are equal opportunity providers, they accept brides (donations) from anyone with a big wallet ;)
[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restraint_of_trade http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restraint_of_trade
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Postal_Service
- simoncion 12y ago> they accept brides ... from anyone with a big wallet ;) Tee hee. But, seriously: > [Government doesn't] offer or allow you a choice in Law Enforcement provider. The rise in private security firms and private offender-rehabilitation firms [0] kinda act as defacto law enforcement for some of the lower class. [0] http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/02/shoplifting_at_whole_foods_or_bloomingdale_s_pay_corrective_education_company.single.html http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/0...
- paulornothing 12y agoWell it's more like private security. People don't pay much attention to this mainly because stealing is bad in most people's eyes. People are not so concerned if it's actually legal or not to detain someone and basically blackmail them.
- baddox 12y ago> There is nothing illegal about having a monopoly. What is illegal is forming cartels and collusion to create restraint/constraint of trade. That sounds like a description of a somewhat sane legal system, but it's not a description of United States "antitrust" law. See, for instance, United Staes v. Alcoa. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Alcoa http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Alcoa