When you read Nancy Turner’s viewpoint, you would think the name of Adam Smith’s book was, “The Wealth of the Wealthy.” Though Smith makes many points, the point of competition isn’t so that the rich can get richer but so the common consumer can have the best price via market competition. Does anyone think that’s what health insurers provide? Insurers don’t compete for your dollars; what little competition exists is to see who can provide employers with the cheapest cost by redirecting costs back to the employees through higher premiums and higher deductibles.
Additionally, the idea that “if only government would leave businesses alone competition would generate the best price” is laughable. Businesses don’t compete because they want to but because they have to. Corporations do everything in their power not to compete, including spending millions lobbying Congress to get the best deals possible. And as for government interference, the modern corporation, particularly with its limited liability, couldn’t exist without the government.
Then there’s the red herring about discouraging risk-taking as if large corporations were entrepreneurs. Large corporations are run by people who use other people’s money, labor and creativity to line their pockets with little to no risk to themselves. Do you really think we would have had the recent financial fiasco if the investment banks were still partnerships and their own money was at risk?
Our dilemma isn’t between government and big business but how to extricate ourselves from this current Frankensteinian amalgam of both.
Andy Absher
Anderson
Letters
Letter: Businesses compete because they must
Discouraging risk-taking is a red herring
- Letters
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Letter: Public should have say on library space
As taxpayers, does the public have no say-so what happens with their tax dollars? With some proper schedule management, those existing meeting rooms can fulfill everyone’s needs.
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Letter: Election fraud tales turn voters away
Columnist Maureen Hayden asked, “Why did 3 million Hoosiers choose not to vote?” She gave a few reasons but I can think of another one.
How about election fraud? -
Letter: Elected officials should buy insurance
I may be wrong but I thought the city and county were hurting for money, and that’s why services keep getting cut or eliminated. One thing is evident. There is no shortage of money for lawsuits.
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Letter: Source of inequality is not economic
The truth of the collapse of a living-wage economy for working-class America is a social catastrophe and, increasingly, a severe embarrassment to free-market ideology.
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Letter: America following road to tyranny
Global elitists behind our government have methodically been guiding our government toward the New World Order.
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Letter: Let’s work through the problems
On May 14 I attended the county council meeting in hopes that I could understand what is happening in the legislative branch of our Madison County government. What I saw was politics at its worst and I cannot applaud either party.
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Letter: Columnist Brown ignores truth
It’s hard to understand why The Herald Bulletin carries columns by Susan Stamper Brown, who has such a blatant disregard for truth in her conservative propaganda.
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Letter: Taxpayers should thank the ‘few’
Are those who worry about the loss of the wheel tax concerned about the roads or about their jobs? Most of them could care less about people’s needs.
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Letter: Government officials should answer to us
We, the people, have allowed government officials to lead us into the crazy one world order. But, is it working? Well, look at the results.
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Viewpoint: Schools, volunteers reach out to pre-kindergartners, parents
On behalf of Born Learning Connection as service of the United Way of Madison County, I would like to thank all Madison County elementary schools for their generous support in making Blast Off to Kindergarten a countywide success.
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Letter: Public should have say on library space
