Posted by curmudgeon on March 13, 2000 at 16:39:31:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: planning to sell BBb BAT posted by Dale on March 13, 2000 at 13:17:35:
I never pay lip service. The upside of anonymity is that I don't have to worry about whether people like what I say, so I call it like I see it. I am truly sorry if your associate was cheated, and I hope he gets full justice.
You refer to the free market as unpredictable; not at all. Items that are in higher demand and lower supply will command higher prices. If realization of this makes me a lemming, okay. But that IS how things work. If no one is willing to shell 5 grand for the Alex tuba in question then BY DEFINITION it is not worth 5 grand. That may hurt, may be tough to hear, may even mean that you have to lose money on it, but life is chock full of pains, and in the big scheme this is a small one.
Please allow me to quote a line I'd like to discuss:
"I did not mean to emphasize that an inflexible, militant acceptance of 'thats the damn free market' was the exact climate where thieves can thrive, but we surely don't wanna encourage that too do we? "
Besides the ironic concept of "militant acceptance" of freedom, this implies that the free market is responsible for dishonest and disreputable businessmen. May I kindly encourage you to reconsider this notion in the light of both historical and contemporary non-free economies. Socialist and communist countries have no shortage of cheats and swindlers, nor did the feudal systems of the past, nor the company stores of the early industrial revolution in America. And talk to someone in NYC about the merits of rent-control apartments. Rent controls put a halt to construction and renovation of apartments in many areas. Decent housing ceased to be available. As a result, the very limited amount of decent housing there is OUTRAGIOUSLY expensive. In short, price controls are a bane to consumers, and the alternative to price controls is a free market. In short, I am against both swindlers and brussel sprouts, but cannot successfully link the free market to either.
Finally, you said:
"To say "if you don't like it don't buy" is an embarrasment to basic sensability." So I should be outraged that the Ford dealership prices the Mustang GT higher than I'd like??? Fact is, I don't like the price, so I'm not going to buy. Is that an embarrassment to basic sensibility? Then just what SHOULD I do? Rant? Protest? Steal one, maybe?
Please understand that it is your opinion, and not your intentions, that I question. I don't like to be at odds with people, but like I said, I call them like I see them. All the best to you, see you in June.