[hackuser]

Interesting points. One observation I'd make: The New York Times is not the Commons; it's not a shared public good like a public park. It's a business, owned by some people in particular who are responsible for it.

They do provide a public good, but so do GE, Hacker News, politicians, and a hot dog vendor. (I happen to particularly value the NY Times' goods.)

[betaclass]

I was not claiming the NYTimes is a commons. Rather I was using the commons as an example of a) how one's short- and long-term interests are not always aligned, and b) how mechanisms that curtail one's own short-term interests can benefit one's long-term interests.