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Technology Stocks : How high will Microsoft fly? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: J Krnjeu who wrote (10569)	9/7/1998 11:15:00 PM
From: Charles Tutt	Respond to of 74651

If you have specifics to support your allegations of _serious_ crimes like price-fixing, etc., that are going unpunished, then you should contact your local prosecutor so the lawbreakers in question can be brought to justice (and you might even be able to collect a reward). If you're just recapping prosecutions that have been reported in the news, then what's your beef about MSFT joining them? And if you're just spouting off without a clue, then ... JMHO, of course.

To: J Krnjeu who wrote (10569)	9/8/1998 2:34:00 AM
From: Bearded One	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 74651

How about price fixing which is rampant in many industries, misappropriating government contract money in HUD, miscatagorizing tax revenue and etc. It's all against the law. It's like an auditor friend of mine said, we can always find something against every company but we just don't have the time to spend.. Good, you gave some real examples. We can progress from here. Price fixing is bad and should be chased down. So is misappropriating government contract money in HUD, miscategorizing tax revenue and etc. All of those are examples of stuff the government should go after. Fortunately or unfortunately, the government has limited resources and has to pick its cases based on certain criteria-- it has to be more than illegal. For example, price fixing of consumer products is probably gone after more than miscategorizing tax revenue, since consumers are directly hurt by price fixing. My guess is that, as in criminal law, the number one question a prosecutor asks when deciding whether or not to pursue a case is: Is there a clear victim and is anyone complaining? In the case of a monopoly engaged in monopoly preservation, there are two sets of victims: other companies which can't get a foothold, and the consumer. The other companies are complaining. And yes, its fair for them to complain just as its fair for you to complain about a drug dealer on your corner who might otherwise be ignored by the police. Given the importance of the computer industry, the potential stranglehold Microsoft might have on the internet, and the allegations about Microsoft's behavior, this seems to me to be a reasonable case to pursue. Oh I get it, as long as it is against Microsoft then that's against the law. And if any other company is breaking the law, while that is allowed. Yes, as long as it is Microsoft then it's against the law. 200 billion dollar companies with a monopoly have different requirements than 2 billion dollar companies with no monopoly power.