No dude, THAT was the waiter.

Translation: God speakes to me in person- I know what his kid looks like.

I guess that I probably disagree with you here based on what our values for "absolutely necessary" are. How do you feel about securities regulation, accounting rules, antitrust law and product liability standards?

I would consider all those things absolutely necessary. The government can intervene for the health of workers, the health of consumers, the health of the enviroment and to prevent fraud. In addition, the government should intervene to increase competition.

Rules that increase transperency, create stability that leads to more competition is fine.

It should always act in the interest of consumers. Never to protect producers or people from the "swings of the market". The only time the government should do market invervention is to inrease comptition, not limit it. Airline regulations and telecome regulations that restrict access to potential new entreupeneurs should have never been implemented. The focus should always be to increase competition.

Book Club
 

How comes Collapse, Spanky? You should hurry and finish it before bilmore disappears again, since he has read it too.

I'm currently reading The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman. Apparently it has had some bad reviews, but it think it is a pretty good summary of the reasons for and results of globalization of the economy. I dare say you'd like it, Spank. FYI.

What happens when rules imposed to protect the health of workers or consumers act to decrease competition? At what point do rules intended to prevent fraud become anti-competitive?

Book Club
 

First this is the wrong board for the bookclub. With all your primping about improper posts, you at least should follow the rules.

Second the bookclub has now finished "Never Let Me Go." We are voting for the next book now. Only members in good standing- i.e. people who contributed to the discussion on NLMG- have a vote. You/Spanky do not have a vote. Maybe take a lesson.

Book Club
 

Spanky and I have a more streamlined, user-friendly book club process than your bureaucracy-laden, discussion-suppressing dictatorship of a book club. So as to better compete in the global market for internet book clubs. Don't call us, we'll call you.

Book Club
 

I ordered Collapse from Amazon and the order got screwed up and arrived on Monday. I own the World is Flat. I will read them both. The World is Flat we will make number 2.

Rules that are imposed to protect the health of the worker or consumers almost always decrease competition. Same with rules against fraud. They take priority over competition. But when the rules are applied they should be applied with the idea of effecting competition the least.

The main problem is when the government tries to pick winners and losers in an industry. That is what needs to be prevented. If the government looks after the well being of the consumer then they almost never go wrong.

It is when the government tries to protect producers you get into trouble.

Price controls, subsidies, over regulation, almost always screw the consumers for the benefit of a producer who usually has a lot of lobbyists in Washington.

Book Club
 

the books I pick have better fuck scenes than the books you and spanky pick. I'm betting your book club can be done via PM because no one else will join.

Book Club
 

When and where did this discussion occur?

Book Club
 

Forget it, he's rolling.

Book Club
 

Oh, and by the way, RT posted the 100 greatest novels ever written on FB and Never Let Me Go is on it. ncs' books on any lists?

Book Club
 

A book has one, and only one, essentially cheap tricky point to make, and it gets on someone's Best 100 list?

Standards. Whatever happened to standards.