Should we break up cartels?

Reader comment on: A "Reasonable Profit'
in response to reader comment: They are competing for banks, not customers

Submitted by ben (United States), Apr 21, 2010 20:50

If mastercard and visa are price fixing, should we try to stop this? It would seem any anti-competitive activities by companies with the exception of outright fraud or breach of contract can be explained away using the one size fits all argument "if only the market were truly free. . ." I find the current debate over financial reform fascinating on many levels, but perhaps the most interesting is the increasing realization of people across the political divide that "free-markets" do not necessarily lead to more competition. there are times when the government must intervene in the market in order to keep the playing field open, allowing companies to compete for business. It would seem that people need to decide where their priorities lie. Being anti-government/laissez faire or being in favor of robust private competition with basic rules of the road.

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