Competition: fair/unfair

[W. Mark Hellinger]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

Where to draw the line, and how to pay for moving the line are IMO significant questions.

JR

Yes, I believe those are significant questions. I'll suggest that where the line is drawn oftentimes comes down to who's drawing the line. I'll suggest that if I'm lying on my death bed... I suspect that I'd prefer to draw the line of when to resuscitate (me) be somewhere other than where my heirs (or whoever is paying the bills after my finances run out) would consider it reasonable to have the line drawn. Those in-charge of a company who are drawing the line of spending cuts in a company that is in need of some belt tightening are likely the last to instigate a significan pay reduction or pink slip for themselves (regardless of where the most glaring belt tightening opportunities might be).

Leave it to a publicly funded institution (or most anyone else) of where to draw the line, and I suspect they'll draw the line where-ever they see fit to do so... regardless of what anyone else thinks because thinking and doing are two different things.

Really: I never considered, while pursuing my previous target market of biker parties and production work in night clubs (bars), that my strongest competitor would be a college (from a different state)… my mistake. I have no idea where they (the college) might perceive the line be drawn now as I moved on after they came stampeding into that market. For all I know they might own and operate a string of strip clubs and casinos by now (heck, why not?).

 

[kristianjohnsen]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

Good point allthough I dont believe the figure by a long stretch, it is obviously grossly exaggerated. But this really belongs in this topic

Feel free to post another figure if you have one

 

[kristianjohnsen]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

Really: I never considered, while pursuing my previous target market of biker parties and production work in night clubs (bars), that my strongest competitor would be a college (from a different state)… my mistake. I have no idea where they (the college) might perceive the line be drawn now as I moved on after they came stampeding into that market. For all I know they might own and operate a string of strip clubs and casinos by now (heck, why not?).

I'm always surprised to hear that these things go on in the US.

I suppose some Americans (Republicans especially) might be surprised at how liberal some markets are here in "socialist" Europe.

And many European socialists might be surprised to learn how much government influence there actually is in the US.

I, for one, am glad I participate on these types of forums as it leaves me with a slightly broader perspective of affairs than just reading our usual sources of international news (I hope, at least)

 

[John Roberts]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

I'm always surprised to hear that these things go on in the US.

I'm shocked... gambling in Casablanca...

I suppose some Americans (Republicans especially) might be surprised at how liberal some markets are here in "socialist" Europe.

Far too many Americans are not even aware of what is going on here. A very old and very true joke, is that it takes wars for Americans to learn geography, while that doesn't even educate many.

And many European socialists might be surprised to learn how much government influence there actually is in the US.

There has long been minority elements in America that look at Europe as an ideal model to emulate, with even more extreme elements favoring communism.

For the last several years there has been an active debate between larger federal government and smaller. I'm not sure europeans fully understand that in their own context. The US is a fairly large country, so the tension between federal and state/local power would be like Every European country turning over full or more power to a central EU authority. It is obvious from a distance that the EU is struggling with attempts to consolidate just some of the functions of a single central government to represent every nations interests.

Simultaneously we have a related discussion about what is the role of government, while this isn't new.

I, for one, am glad I participate on these types of forums as it leaves me with a slightly broader perspective of affairs than just reading our usual sources of international news (I hope, at least)

News, especially TV news is horribly challenged by the format, to only present a tiny fraction of any days actual news, and the constraints of video means manufactured photo opportunities will end up on screen preferentially. A cute kitten, or man bites dog, story can easily displace far more important news.

Anecdotal exchanges on the internet can inform you about personal opinions but be careful about extrapolating to a 300 million general population from a tiny sample of web weenies.

JR

PS: Some Americans can't even spel Cyprus correctly.

 

[W. Mark Hellinger]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

I'm always surprised to hear that these things go on in the US.

Regardless of where we're located, I suspect we're all generally from the same family, genus, and species... leading me to believe that we all probably have more in common than we have differences.

I suppose some Americans (Republicans especially) might be surprised at how liberal some markets are here in "socialist" Europe.

Leapin lizards... I might be a republican (I never much though about it)... anyhoo... I probably would be surprised at how liberal some markets might be as I don't even know if I know what that means... in any specific terms anyway.

And many European socialists might be surprised to learn how much government influence there actually is in the US.

I suspect the US has the largest total government budget of any nation on the face of the earth... and money is generally the grease for the machinery of doing things (they obviously use the money for something)... and I suspect it would be naive to think our government goes through as much money as they do without having some compariable influence.

I, for one, am glad I participate on these types of forums as it leaves me with a slightly broader perspective of affairs than just reading our usual sources of international news (I hope, at least)

Me too.

 

[stan stehwien]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

I'm posting this in the Varsity section as it is a serious professional matter.

I was asked by a local "community access" television outfit to do some sub-contracted audio work for their field shoots. This organization receives the bulk of it's funding from sources other than the clients for whom they provide service: public funding from taxes/grants/etc..

The problem is that they have not learned to say "no" when asked to do jobs which put them in direct competition with folks who run a business providing video production services. Since they have a funding stream apart from the client fees, they can send out a video truck with tech, a director and three cameramen for very little money. The videographers for whom I work at other times of the year have lost business/clients to these people.

What I'm wondering is if this is a matter for the City Attorney or the State Attorney General.

Professional opinions needed.

thanks

DR

DR, We're not in the same business but we share a problem. I found your post with a google search for "unfair government competition". Senator John Thune (R) South Dakota is reintroducing a bill adressing this issue. His bill uses the "Yellow Page test".... if it can be found in the yellow pages provided by the private sector government shouldn't be doing it. I urge you to contact your US Senators to support The Freedom from Government Competition Act S. 523

 

[John Roberts]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

DR, We're not in the same business but we share a problem. I found your post with a google search for "unfair government competition". Senator John Thune (R) South Dakota is reintroducing a bill adressing this issue. His bill uses the "Yellow Page test".... if it can be found in the yellow pages provided by the private sector government shouldn't be doing it. I urge you to contact your US Senators to support The Freedom from Government Competition Act S. 523

While I am sympathetic to that agenda, where in the constitution is the government allowed to operate businesses in the first place?

Of course if you think the only tool in your kit is passing more legislation have at it. But it looks like you are patching a hole in the fence while leaving the gate wide open. It's well past time to privatize Fannie and Freddie. Tell the Dodd-Frank regulators that if they can't make up their mind about the rules for this many years maybe we don't need those regulations too. The uncertainty does more damage to the economy than any rules, the big banks will just finesse. Leave the post office alone so they can cut their costs and shrink to a size that can be supported by their declining revenue, etc. etc etc

Thanks for the sentiment tho... Seems you have larger dragons to slay.

JR

 

[Bennett Prescott]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

While I am sympathetic to that agenda, where in the constitution is the government allowed to operate businesses in the first place?

Since when is the constitution a list of things the government can​ do?

 

[John Roberts]

Re: Competition: fair/unfair

Since when is the constitution a list of things the government can​ do?

Well since you asked, for the last few hundred years.

Our founders were apprehensive about over-reach by a central Federal government so specifically limited the powers available to them. They even limited their regulatory powers to inter-state commerce (commerce clause). The post office was considered a valuable common infrastructure so treated as a special exception. The founders belief was that local decisions were best made locally, and all powers not specifically enumerated as Federal or state government powers, resided in we the people.

While I expect opinions vary. There is much debate over what our founders were "thinking" and how that applies to modern situations, they could never anticipate. I doubt they would endorse federal or state government backed local sound companies but I expect opinions vary.

JR