Rick Brandt wrote:
HeyBub wrote:
Heh! Adam Smith postulated the concept in the late 18th Century. You,
evidently, are the only person in 230 years to disagree with the
idea.

While sound in theory, two things destroy Adam Smith's main ideas.
Monopolies and collusion. Those are why even he did not advocate an
adoption of the ideas in absolute terms.

I agree on collusion; not so much on monopolies.

Free market monopolies are usually good. The greatest monopoly of all time,
the company held up as the poster child as evil, was Standard Oil. Yet
Standard Oil managed to reduce the price of kerosene from $3.00/gallon to
five cents. In three years. By so doing, they revolutionized society. Of
course the whale-oil people raised a fuss and Standard Oil was broken up.
Make no mistake, the consumer benefited by Standard Oil's monopoly. Oil
drillers, refiners, and transporters suffered, but the consumer came out way
ahead.

The monopolies that harm society are the ones sanctioned or owned by the
government: utilities, mail, transportation, and the like.