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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP (Charley Wingate)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Free markets and monopolies (reply to Charley Wingate)
Message-ID: <1099@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 4-Aug-85 23:30:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.1099
Posted: Sun Aug  4 23:30:16 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 7-Aug-85 01:44:59 EDT
References: <9558@ucbvax.ARPA>
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 21

In article <9558@ucbvax.ARPA> fagin@ucbvax.UUCP (Barry Steven Fagin) writes:

>>Well, recall when US Steel had a monopoly in the steel industry?  When 
>>Standard Oil was rapidly gobbling up all the oil companies in the country?
>>When the railroads fought to destroy each other?  And we mustn't forget Ma
>>Bell.

>Actually, Charley, all four examples you cite were the result of
>*governmental* intervention on behalf of the affected company, as
>those involved were able to accomplish politically what they could not
>accomplish economically.  Four articles follow in net.politics
>discussing each of the examples you mention: U.S. Steel, Standard Oil,
>the railroads, and Ma Bell.

As my other followups point out, this is certainly not true in every case 
cited.

Anyway, why isn't this possible in any government? (Rhetorical question,
by the way.  I'd like to see Libertarian government defended against this.)

C Wingate