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From: lkk@teddy.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Supposed monopolies: US Steel (article 1 of 4)
Message-ID: <1090@teddy.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-Aug-85 13:46:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: teddy.1090
Posted: Fri Aug  2 13:46:05 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Aug-85 21:52:43 EDT
References: <974@umcp-cs.UUCP> <7800361@inmet.UUCP> <1038@umcp-cs.UUCP> <9560@ucbvax.ARPA>
Reply-To: lkk@teddy.UUCP (Larry K. Kolodney)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 40

In article <9560@ucbvax.ARPA> fagin@ucbvax.UUCP (Barry Steven Fagin) writes:
>If nothing else, the steel industry was competitive before the World War,
>and the efforts by the House of Morgan to establish control and stability
>over the steel industry by voluntary, private economic means had failed.
>Having failed in the realm of economics, the efforts of the United States
>Steel group were to be shifted to politics."
>
>For the rest of this somewhat depressing story, check out Kolko's book.
>


It is a common libertarian ploy to point out that much of the abuse
that government regulations are meant to prevent was caused by govt. 
interference in the first place.

Then they say: But if they had only kept a "free market" none of this would
have happened.

This point of view merely continues the myth of a feasable libertarian
state.  There were no EXTERNAL pressures for the govt. to get involved on
the side of US STEEL.  It was merely the natural result of the power
dynamics in this country.  IT WAS INEVITABLE, GIVEN THE ESSENTIALLY
UNDEMOCRATIC NATURE OF THE FEDERAL GOVT. AT THE TIME.   When the central
govt. is weak, and a few men are very powerful, THE GOVERNMENT WILL DO THEIR
BIDDING.  It clear from history that nature abhors a power vacuum.  Any
libertarian society will rapidly subcum (sp?) to non-governmental power
blocks, just as any "free" market will fall in the same manner. 

Kolko would probably reccomend that a POPULAR government be given the
power to control those large corporations to prevent the situations described
in his book.  He's criticism of the particular history of U.S. govt. is
hardly a condemnation of interference in the free market.

 
-- 

Sport Death,
Larry Kolodney
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