[TheForge] Slack tank...POL OT

[Andy Gladish]

In the real world, the way "The Free Market" works is that those who are 
committed to putting themselves in the most powerful position possible buy 
out their competitors and their congresspeople and run their businesses (and 
eventually the nation) any way they damn well please.
It's easy to defend Big Oil from an easy chair in the US, until you actually 
get to know citizens of countries like Nigeria and Trinidad. After I spent 
some time with them, and found out what it's like living in a country with 
completely "free markets" (where the biggest corporations just flat out own 
the place and don't have to euphemize or pretend) my thinking went from 
fiery Libertarian to feeling grateful for the role that our government takes 
in maintaining even a bit of control over the biggest players.

PS: Reading about the life of Ayn Rand was a blow to my Libertarian leanings 
too- what a sick puppy that one was!
-----Original Message----- 
From: osan at netlabs.net
Sent: Sunday, December 19, 2010 7:30 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Slack tank...POL OT

WTF?!  "Social costs"?!  What in hell are you gibbering about?  Define The 
term.