At 23:03 30/04/2000 -0400, Mumpsimus wrote:

>snipped extensively
>
>Bill Bartlett wrote:
>      The writer points out that capitalism, which is predicated on and
>justified
>       by free competition, inevitably trends toward increased monopoly,
>simply by
>       the development of increasingly sophisticated machinery of production.
>
>This is nonsense.
>There are two types of monopoly; coercive and natural.  Natural is
>a desired variety as the best product is produced at the best
>price -- such has never existed.  A coercive monopoly requires the
>Government to enforce.

Sorry - you're wrong.  There's a basic trend in capitalism in that it
necessarily tends towards monopoly.  Software is an easy way to see this -
big fish eat small fish, or the small fish survive off the leavings of
bigger ones.  Windows was never popular because it was good.

We in fact have a monopoly by Microsoft.  If it's "natural" (by your terms)
then we clearly do not have the best product at the best price (and in
fact, a "natural" monopoly would *never* assure us of either).  If it's
"coercive" (which I'd argue it is) then the government certainly never
enforced it.  The precious "free market" was the coercive agent in this case.

>Bill Bartlett wrote:
>      Free competition under capitalism is a wonderful thing to behold, but as
>      the article points out, the vast majority of the population simply don't
>      have the necessary tools and have little chance of acquiring them.
>
>This too is nonsense.  If it were true no one in this country would rise
>above his current 'place' which is hardly evident with 90% plus of current
>millionaires beginning at or close to zero -- even with the convoluted
>mixed economy in which we suffer.  The computer industry has been
>largely left alone ... and we have witnessed ever decreasing prices with
>ever increasing product features.

The IT industry has not been "left alone".  Large sums of money are
provided to certain IT vendors by governments for all sorts of reasons.  I
don not believe you when you say that 90% plus of current millionaires
began with nothing.  You will have to support this assertion with factual
evidence.

>Bill Bartlett wrote:
>      The only free competition they can engage in is the race to sell
>      their labour at the cheapest price to those who do own the tools.
>
>Bullshit.
>
>
>Learn some reality and get back to us.
>Microsoft is no more a monopoly than McDonalds.

Have you actually *read* the findings of fact?  I'll make it easy for you -
http://www.usdoj.gov/atr/cases/f3800/msjudgex.htm

It's clear enough that you don't understand economic theory, but the least
you could do is have read the relevant documentation before shooting your
mouth off.

Alister