>Umm, wrong. A business is driven to make profits, not make the best
>product. They will cut the corners and do everything in their power to
>keep production costs low as long as it doesn`t undermine consumer interest.
>The fact that products like the electric toothbrush, disposable diapers, are
>demanded by the public scares me. You`ll notice that the public is only a
>small minority of people, yet entire societies and ecosystems are
>consumed in our mad rush for more junk.
Cutting costs is a valid component in creating better products. In fact,
it's the component that makes those products available to the "masses."
I suppose people do buy a lot of "junk." That's their right; the Earth is
not nearly as fragile as most environmentalists presume.
Here's what I consider truly sinister: government bureaucrats (or
gov't-appointed committees of "experts") deciding which products should be
produced and which should not.
Although the profit motive is not based on any specific morality, gov't
regulation is: the morality of arrogance and corruption. It is no surprise
to some of that the Soviet Union and other socialist nations have been the
biggest creators of pollution and "junk" products.
Businesses can be voted out of existence by consumers. Most career
government bureaucrats have jobs for life.
Ira Brodsky
Datacomm Research Company
Wilmette, Illinois