You don't have to
be a Ph.D. in the economics of anti-trust law to see the irony of
the federal government's legal attack on Microsoft. Here we have
Microsoft, the leading company in the most productive, competitive
and innovative sector of our society, under siege from the least
productive and most monopolized element in society — the federal
government.
Let's look at the picture before us. The computer industry, which
our government argues is being threatened by the alleged monopoly
practices of Microsoft, is putting new computers on our desks with
ever more effective programs. We can now balance our checkbook, go
shopping, design intricate publications and e-mail our parents the
new picture of their grandkid all on our personal computer. And with
many more features and power, the prices keep going down.
Now what about the federal government? First, its Board of
Directors, the Congress, has monopolized the political process. In
the last election 98.5 percent of incumbents were reelected, most
without any meaningful competition. For those who had served more
than 2 terms, the reelection rate was 100 percent. That's beyond
anything remotely possible in the productive private sector.
And more important, when is the last time you saw real innovation
in the federal government — a problem solved or a true cut in the
amount of your tax bill? Monopolies are known to raise prices and
diminish quality. That doesn't match the record of Microsoft or the
computer industry.
The real monopoly isn't Mr. Gates and Microsoft; it's the career
politicians in Washington.
This is Common Sense. I'm Paul Jacob.
Common Sense is U.S. Term Limits' weekly radio
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