Re: Kevorkian Economics- long

[Ken Medlin <dev-plan@moscow.com>]

> Proponents of open market, unfettered capitalism would argue 
>that agribusiness is just market evolution.
True, but when unfettered economic activities lead to monopolistic 
practices, or unhealthy conditions, or trade constraints, the public 
interest will intervene (Sherman anti-trust, banking laws, environmental 
protection, or other regulatory means) to restore integrity to the 
system. Ask some small grain farmers, who have small storage capacities 
or harvesting constraints, if some corporate entities ever forced them to 
sell at a disadvantage (low price) because of arbitrary, corporate 
actions for their greater profits at the expense of other producers. Is 
this what a free market is for? -- does it promote the general welfare? 
Why did the National Farmers Union organize against the National Grange? 
Why are so many of the big storage silo systems owned by foreign grain 
speculators? And so on. We gotta look at the whole picture, pilgrims. 
'Get them silos arranged in a fair circle', and maybe give them 
cotton-pickin' field hands a decent living wage, or something like that. 
Haven't we been there before in history? Think about it.

------------------------
William K. Medlin
Dev-plan associates
930 Kenneth Street
Moscow ID 83843
208/892-0148
dev-plan@moscow.com