At 4:52 PM -0500 11/5/98, Matthew James Gering wrote:
Robert Hettinga wrote:
Further more, even in a free-market there will exist black markets.
Provided you don't corrupt the meaning of free-market to include any possible black market, then yes, there will *always* be a black market. It can be made rather insignificant however.
Assuming your definition of "free market" is "a market without regulation", you can't have a black market in a free market since a black market is trade in violation of regulations. In other words, a Black market is when you trade either illegal goods illegally, or legal goods illegally. If there are no illegal goods, and there is no regulations limiting trading, then the black market cannot exist. Unless I am missing some context here.
The aspect of a free-market is that there is no consequence from such actions (unless you want to admit to allowing corporations to have their own hit squads).
And again you pervert the meaning of free market. I'm tired arguing that subject with you, go read a book.
Remember that line from _A_Fish_Called_Wanda_ about apes and philosopy? -- "To sum up: The entire structure of antitrust statutes in this country is a jumble of economic irrationality and ignorance. It is a product: (a) of a gross misinterpretation of history, and (b) of rather naïve, and certainly unrealistic, economic theories." Alan Greenspan, "Anti-trust" http://www.ecosystems.net/mgering/antitrust.html Petro::E-Commerce Adminstrator::Playboy Ent. Inc.::petro@playboy.com