<< You say the natural relationship between humans is trade. I say it's
cooperation. I
think our ability to cooperate was vital to our evolutionary
success. >>
Trade IS cooperation. You want something I have and I want something you
have. Neither needs what we currently have as much as the thing the other
has. So, we trade. Win-Win. One-on-one cooperation.
<<Only when a small minority obtain power through generally nasty means, can
they tell everybody else that these are the rules they must follow. >>
Non-cooperation with a small controlling group (government or industry) is
how India got the British out. The Indian population would not "do business"
with the Win-Lose British government. This is NOT a problem of capitalism.
It is the freedom you have with capitalism. You are free to choose.
<< I hate and fear government just as much as you do. But I also
hate and fear the business interests which lie to me with their
advertising and poison my water with their pollution. Uggh, there must be
a better way than unrestrained capitalism. >>
Then why do business with them? You are free to choose.
You are confusing ALL of capitalism with the few Win-Lose companies.
You are blind to the Win-Win business deal --- main reason for repeat
business in capitalist trading (and cooperation of any kind.) The repeat
business is the ONLY way ANY company can stay in business because a company
has no guns and prisons to punish me if I don't by their product.
I can't understand why a business is so fearful to you. They don't have
guns, or police, or armies, or prisons. They will not come to your house at
3 AM to arrest you for not buying an IBM computer or using MCI instead of
AT&T.
The government grounds out all competition. How many competing governments do
we have to choose from? Not many. People crash through the gates to get
into capitalist countries, you _never_ see that with communist or
fascist-socialist countries.
Businesses on the other hand are in competition with dozens of other
companies everyday on a world wide basis. Are you talking about win-lose
monopolies? Only then would I partly agree with you. (They still don't have
prisons and police).
But, even monopolies can't force you to buy unless their product can't be
purchased through other means, the black market, and it has to be a product
extremely important to life. Healthcare mergers (monopolies, HMOs) are not a
good deal for the patient in my opinion. Even then smaller companies start
up to compleat for healthcare markets. A friend of mine started one up last
month because the "big boys" got too expensive.
Dynamically Optimistic,
Davin
November 5, 1996
12:22 pm