[Vision2020] RE: Unstable, Doomed, Missed Points

[joekc at adelphia.net]

I guess I don't see why the brothel point is silly, Jeff. The point is that there is plenty of "protectionism" against brothels, illicit drugs, etc. What makes this OK and other forms of protectionism not OK? And you can't point to existing laws, for we could always change the laws.

--
Joe Campbell

---- Jeff Harkins <jeffh at moscow.com> wrote: 

=============
At 01:39 PM 3/8/2006, you wrote:
>Jeff et. al.
>
>Your examples are interesting. Brothels are illegal, so a straw man 
>argument.
>
>
>You can't get out of that point that easily!  A change in the law in 
>Idaho, and brothels could be legal.  Why limit the "free 
>marketplace?"  Regulated brothels might be safer for all, with 
>mandated testing for STDs, etc.  Brothels exist anyway in Idaho, no 
>doubt because they make money and have an eager customer base, so 
>will you come out against the "protectionism" of laws against brothels?

Nope - I would not - and I think you are being somewhat silly.

>A change in Moscow's regulations limiting the size at which a 
>retailer can build (sq. ft. of the building(s) at a given site) 
>would render a Wal-Mart Supercenter thus "illegal."  Then your 
>championing of the Wal-Mart Supercenter would become a "straw man 
>issue" because it would be "illegal" to construct.  Somehow I think 
>you would still be arguing that the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter 
>was blocked unwisely.

Yes, I would make that argument - it would be a foolish thing to do 
and that is why I am engaged in this issue.

>I wonder, do you support anti-trust law of any kind?  Under what 
>circumstances?  When US corporations violate environmental, labor or 
>human rights laws in other nations, laws that are widely accepted in 
>the democratic world, to allow them to out compete business 
>competitors, should any government regulation be imposed to stop such conduct?

Yes, I support the existing anti-trust law in the US.  Do I think 
that the US should interfere in the trade and economics matters of 
other countries?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  Each non-democratic 
country brings its own special challenges.  I think we have a 
reasonable strategy for working with China.  On a related note, 
should Latah/Moscow be interfering in the planning and zoning issues 
for Whitman County - absolutely not!