Comments on: The Climate Change Religion?

By: MichaelR

MichaelR — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:31:05 +0000

On monopolies: Nobody seems to be too concerned about the government-granted monopolies of the cable companies, the phone companies, the water and power companies, the garbage companies, any of the monopolies that are directly created by and under governmental supervision.

By: MichaelR

MichaelR — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:41:55 +0000

If they are protecting their monopoly by keeping their price “low enough”, wouldn’t that mean that the prices could not be “too high”? If the prices are too high for the consumers, they will do without the product, the company would fail. If the prices are low enough that consumers are happily paying it, what’s the problem? There’s nothing wrong in making more money on a product than you spend to make it – that’s the only way that these products would ever get made short of slave labor.

By: craig41

craig41 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:56:36 +0000

well, i’ll have to leave thinking of examples for a later (not at work) time, but in your rocket fuel example you say capitalize on their monopoly. well, it’s my understanding that there are two ways to capitalize on a monopoly, short term profit, which gives the incentive for competition, and protecting the monopoly by keeping the price low enough that there is no incentive for competition. that doesn’t mean as low as the price would be in a more competitive situation, just low enough that the barriers to entry wouldn’t be overcome by a new company trying to enter the market. in that scenario the greater public is harmed (prices are still too high), but there’s no incentive for other companies to join the market, since they’re facing losing money for the foreseeable future. hypothetically this situation could continue until either the monopoly decides to increase short term profits, opening the door to competition, or someone (doj) breaks up the monopoly.

but i’ll come up with an example too

By: Tom M

Tom M — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:58:04 +0000

http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/monckton/goreerrors.html

Isn’t it funny how many lies and deceptions (intentional = fraud) the man made global warming scam artists use to support their driving warming hysteria to fight their “Great Satan” (the mother of all Satans),” and they still ask us to trust what they say???

Yeah, right…

By: MichaelR

MichaelR — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:47:24 +0000

Come up with an example – that would be a lot of fun, we could both get a good intellectual workout trying to prove our points!

I’m not even kidding.

By: MichaelR

MichaelR — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:44:43 +0000

Sure, if you’re looking at this miracle business in a complete bubble, but for any product or service there is an alternative. When gas prices got too high, it’s not like everyone stayed home, they found different ways to get where they wanted to go.

If, for example, the only company with the resources to manufacture rocket fuel, which would have a high barrier to entry, decided to capitalize on their monopoly, people would be incentivized to develop a different means of developing fuel or an alternative mode of propulsion for their rocket. Competition can be lateral – furbies compete with xylophones compete with tonka trucks compete with sidewalk chalk.

By: craig41

craig41 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:24:50 +0000

monopolies can still exist, and be bad, slow down innovation, and perhaps inflate prices. nothing about the free market takes that away from an industry that’s prone to monopolies or oligopolies (high barriers to entry, long periods between initial investment and profitability). if a monopoly exists then that company calls all the shots, the public being dissatisfied doesn’t inherently make it profitable for another company to form and compete with the monopoly.

By: MichaelR

MichaelR — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:34:33 +0000

Your definition of monopoly leaves a whole lot to be desired (read: “is wrong”). A monopoly means market exclusivity – I know a lot of people who used Opera or Netscape Navigator. I also know a lot of people who use Macs or Linux-based PCs simply because Microsoft ticks them off with their annoying and deliberate compatibility issues.

Where would we be without the 1998 ruling in The US vs Microsoft? Probably in exactly the same place. Why? Because you cannot be a chode in a free market without eventually scaring away your customer base. The only way you could ever form a true monopoly in a free market would be to deliver the best possible product for everyone for the best possible perceived value for everyone – if you can do that, what’s the problem?

By: Tim Carter

Tim Carter — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:17:57 +0000

When Microsoft cornered the browser market?

By: MichaelR

MichaelR — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:03:10 +0000

When has a true monopoly ever occurred in a free market without the utilization of governmental force?

By: Jason Williams

Jason Williams — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:00:55 +0000

Carlin rules!

And LOL @ “Tom M: stick to what you’re good at…”

Give him a minute, somehow he’ll bring this back to the “EVIL DV INDUSTRY!”

Seriously though, thanks for reminding me of that Carlin clip.

By: Tim Carter

Tim Carter — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:57:00 +0000

Mike: “Monopolies do not occur in a free market.”

Non human free markets?

By: MichaelR

MichaelR — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:24:36 +0000

- “So you support monopolies because they are a naturally occuring part of free markets?”

Monopolies do not occur in a free market.

By: Tim Carter

Tim Carter — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:34:51 +0000

I agree with Carlin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q3upFx4FcA

By: Tim Carter

Tim Carter — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:26:07 +0000

I think I might agree with you on this one Rich. The movements ‘branding’ might be too extreme for the masses. Although somehow, apocalytic scenarios seem to sell to a lot of people. Is it truly a fight for humanity? I don’t know for sure. But our hindsight should be able to tell us something about the future.