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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!seismo!uwvax!paul
From: paul@uwvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: How to Argue with Libertarians
Message-ID: <962@uwvax.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 30-Jun-83 12:48:09 EDT
Article-I.D.: uwvax.962
Posted: Thu Jun 30 12:48:09 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Jul-83 11:14:49 EDT
References: <455@grkermit.UUCP> <144@tty3b.UUCP>
Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept
Lines: 18

The premise of this article was that, in the past, free market
enterprise went amok (robber barrons, etc.) and this led to the
natural creation of gov't regulatory agencies.

This was not really the case - at least it is not nearly as
clear cut as the writer suggests. To a large extent gov't
regulatory agencies, such as the ICC, were formed because they
were *wanted* by certain big businesses (such as railroads) in
order to then gain market advantages (such as state charters,
exclusive monopolies, etc.).

Therefore it seems like gov't itself created a huge problem. Rather
than eliminate the agencies which caused the problem, though,
gov't responds by giving more power to itself to solve the
problems it created.

The history of the rise of regulatory agencies in our market 
place seems to favor libertarian arguments, not disfavor them.