Re:Monopoly, is it a problem?
by stretchwithme on Sunday April 25, 2010 @07:59AM
(#1292579)
As long as there is no coercion involved, I'm okay with monopolies. All a monopoly is a cornering of the market for a particular thing and you could even see entertainers as having a monopoly on their own unique offerings.
Most of the things people consider monopolies actually have competition. Its just not quite exactly the same, as cheap or as good.
If you had a monopoly on the automobile, there would still be the bicycle, the train, the horse and buggy, and of course, walking. These all compete with people just moving closer to work. Or living near a navigable body of water or getting a helicopter.
And lets not forget that the government is handing monopolies in exchange for sharing ideas (also known as patents). When such a deal makes sense for society, the monopoly is a good deal. When it isn't, we shouldn't be granting them.
Most of the things people consider monopolies actually have competition. Its just not quite exactly the same, as cheap or as good.
If you had a monopoly on the automobile, there would still be the bicycle, the train, the horse and buggy, and of course, walking. These all compete with people just moving closer to work. Or living near a navigable body of water or getting a helicopter.
And lets not forget that the government is handing monopolies in exchange for sharing ideas (also known as patents). When such a deal makes sense for society, the monopoly is a good deal. When it isn't, we shouldn't be granting them.