king@kestrel.ARPA (10/02/86)
From: Richard A. Cowan <COWAN@XX.LCS.MIT.EDU>
Subject: Libertarianism atacked, part II
To: sacc@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
. . .
Companies frequently bring in innovations designed to induce
"economic growth" by making the consumer dependent on various
modern conveniences. Take toothpaste. (I admit, a rather unusual
example.) A dependency on toothpaste in a pump is being created
(by subsidy at first) so that consumers will ultimately pay for the
added cost of the pump, and in order to better regulate (and speed
up) their toothpaste use. When toothpaste in a tube is removed
from the market because most consumers have been indoctrinated
(progress!) to buy it in a pump, what happens to my "free choice"
to buy toothpaste in a tube? The free market, using the technical
apparatus of the media, has infringed on my freedom.
Gimmie a break! You raise a picture of a secret cabal of two dozen
men deciding to squeeze out [:-)] the tube. If n-1 companies do get
rid of the tube, and consumers still want it, don't you think Company
N will clean up?
<enter sarcasm mode> Obviously the success of the New Coke and the
failure of certain oil companies that killed their credit cards can be
explained by monopoly power!
. . .
-rich
-dick
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