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From: bob@pedsgd.UUCP (Robert A. Weiler)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: The free market and scuba diving
Message-ID: <249@pedsgd.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 25-Aug-85 13:11:31 EDT
Article-I.D.: pedsgd.249
Posted: Sun Aug 25 13:11:31 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 26-Aug-85 01:43:17 EDT
References: <10169@ucbvax.ARPA> <4205@alice.UUCP>
Reply-To: bob@pedsgd.UUCP (Robert A. Weiler)
Followup-To: net.politics.theory
Organization: Perkin-Elmer, Tinton Falls, NJ
Lines: 47
Summary: 

Organization : Perkin-Elmer DSG, Tinton Falls NJ
Keywords: 

In article <4205@alice.UUCP> ark@alice.UucP (Andrew Koenig) writes:
>Barry Fagin's note on scuba equipment rentals is interesting,
>and completely correct except for two minor details.
>
>He says: "An interesting example of how the free market keeps
>a sport safe, even though it may piss off libertarians."
>
>Well, it doesn't piss off THIS libertarian.  That is how the
>free market SHOULD work.
>
>What DOES piss me off -- and is NOT the way the free market
>should work -- is that I cannot say to the rental agency:
>"Please rent me your equipment even though I am not certified:
>I will agree, in writing, not to hold you responsible for anything
>that happens to me as a result of my ignorance."  The trouble
>is that the chances are too great that it will be possible to
>convince a jury that because I am not certified, I could NOT have
>made an informed decision to accept my own risks, and therefore
>that the rental agency is liable ANYWAY!

Mr Fagin and Mr Koenig are indeed correct about how the scuba
industry works. Mr Fagin suggests these is a glowing triumph
for Libertaria. However, there is a key point to be made; scuba diving
is a purely pleasure oriented activity. Mr Fagin may have been pissed
off, but he got over it fairly quickly. If the service was instead
food, or water, or shelter, or heat, or medical service, the outcome
would be very different. I am grateful that the government has
left scuba diving pretty much alone, but cant we also pick this
as a triumph FOR republican democracy? Given the chance, they
have not (yet) intervened.

As I understand it, Mr Koenig is wrong that in a Free Market would
allow him to voluntarily take the risk. It may still be that
the dive industry would prefer not to take the risk of being
sued. They might insist that he pay as much as the cost of a
certification course as insurance against this risk.And they
DO make money certifying people.

Just trying to cause trouble.

Bob Weiler.
PS. I have redirected followups to net.politics.theory to spare
everyone else.