tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post6919886426900502863..comments2024-03-29T00:34:36.786-05:00Comments on Book Chase: Bad News for French Book LoversSam http://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-42864647700039619012007-12-17T18:55:00.000-06:002007-12-17T18:55:00.000-06:00That was simply criminal, Sylvia, and it's one of ...That was simply criminal, Sylvia, and it's one of those cases where government intervention is justifiable if business people are unwilling to do the right thing. I agree with you on this one, but it doesn't change my overall feeling that the laws of supply and demand are not to be tinkered with just for the sake of price supports or producing "living wages."Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-35937372087851080272007-12-14T14:57:00.000-06:002007-12-14T14:57:00.000-06:00Interestingly, last night I watched a program that...Interestingly, last night I watched a program that described how officials let millions of people in Ireland (including some of my ancestors) and India starve to death during the 19th century in the name of "free trade." Food was being exported from these countries rather than being sold domestically for fear of "artificially" depressing prices. To me that's just hideous.Island Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07849847888802951587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-85636033070660601852007-12-13T22:37:00.000-06:002007-12-13T22:37:00.000-06:00Sylvia, I certainly agree that there is plenty of ...Sylvia, I certainly agree that there is plenty of room for government regulation in the business world...just to keep everyone honest. But, IMO, tinkering with the laws of supply and demand is a losing proposition for all involved.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-53911856743275651712007-12-13T21:22:00.000-06:002007-12-13T21:22:00.000-06:00Monopoly, the game, is a free market, and we all k...Monopoly, the game, is a free market, and we all know how that always ends up! Markets must be regulated to some extent to prevent exploitation and suffering. Just look at the world--the countries with the most regulations have the best living conditions, whereas the ones with weak governments and little or no taxation are undemocratic hellholes. Regulation puts a lid on the worst of human greed Island Bookwormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07849847888802951587noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-49482917678615073392007-12-13T18:45:00.000-06:002007-12-13T18:45:00.000-06:00Interesting comments, guys. I'm a free market bel...Interesting comments, guys. I'm a free market believer and I think that the reason that the EU will ultimately fail is that governments there refuse to let the market work. Price controls are a terrible mistake, one so obvious that I can't believe that anything other than a communist or socialist economy would even try it...and, yes, I hate price supports also, such as farm subsidies and the Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-40526305211908283102007-12-13T16:29:00.000-06:002007-12-13T16:29:00.000-06:00(Argh! Blogger ate my comment! I try again...)I su...(Argh! Blogger ate my comment! I try again...)<BR/><BR/>I suppose, but let's not forget that "workers" and "consumers" are the same people. Or at least they should be, if we believe in fairness. Otherwise we should stop pretending and go back to the class system.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-71329594007048093412007-12-13T10:30:00.000-06:002007-12-13T10:30:00.000-06:00In these days of Amazon, McDonald's, etc., I forge...In these days of Amazon, McDonald's, etc., I forget just how 'foreign' foreign countries can be. I'm all for supporting small businesses, but not at the expense of the end consumer. Whether it be price control or wage control. <BR/><BR/>The bookstore union over there must have quite a 'lobbying' force.travhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08610121052214617032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-43093025193531896232007-12-13T08:30:00.000-06:002007-12-13T08:30:00.000-06:00Sylvia, I agree with you except for the "living wa...Sylvia, I agree with you except for the "living wage" part. I say pay them what the market will bear. I'm not sure what sort of value a bookstore worker could add to my shopping experience to make their work worth any more than minimum wage. If they want to make more than that, then they should get skills that qualify them for more lucrative jobs.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38656633.post-6764795715393282592007-12-12T19:09:00.000-06:002007-12-12T19:09:00.000-06:00Bizarre. I'd rather they just made sure workers we...Bizarre. I'd rather they just made sure workers were paid a living wage and then let their employers decide how much to sell their wares for. Small bookshops are no more sacrosant than cottage weavers were when machine looms were invented. Obviously business needs to be watched to prevent and redress abuses, but doing more than that is questionable.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com