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by syn0byte 2514 days ago
To your entire argument I say GOOD. Can't make profitable bluebarries? Tough shit. Free market right?

Work conditions become crap? GOOD. Can't run a business without slaves in shanties tough shit. Free market right?

Product quality goes to shit because you can't afford decent employees in reasonable working conditions? GOOD. The free market in action!

Are you afraid of a free market?
2 comments
core-questions 2514 days ago
> Can't make profitable bluebarries? Tough shit. Free market right?

Why is this good? Do you not want to have access to a wide array of foods? Isn't it nice to have blueberries? Isn't it good that someone can have a farm as their family business and make it work, agriculturally? Would it somehow be better to just let that land do nothing while we all drink Soylent?

I'm not a free market absolutist. If I was, I'd have no problem with illegal labour or buying from slave labour in some other country. Yes, I am afraid of a completely free market, because I understand the Tragedy of the Commons. It doesn't mean I'm going to flip directions and become an advocate of complete state control of industry.

Your over-the-top rhetoric serves no-one and illustrates no point.

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anigbrowl 2514 days ago
No, I don't want extra choice if it comes at the expense of exploitation. I don't want to waste my time having to assess every product and vendor for ethical quality, I want to know that when I'm purchasing everyday goods and services that I can rely on a certain baseline level of equity across the entire commercial marketplace. It creates economic inefficiency by introducing unwanted information asymmetries into the market that hurt both consumers and labor.
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kenpomeroy 2514 days ago
> free market

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

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perl4ever 2514 days ago
Nobody seems to agree on what a free market is.

My definition is pretty simple, but it may surprise you if you think regulations go against a free market. To me, a free market is one that is transparent and has low transaction costs. And I think this is only possible if it is well regulated by an authority or government.

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