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To: Charles Hughes who wrote (21674)	11/23/1998 11:27:00 AM
From: Gerald R. Lampton	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 24154

In Asia, they love this free trade nonsense. More proof of the decline of the West. And I suppose you love the protectionist nonsense of people like Pat Buchanan.

To: Charles Hughes who wrote (21674)	11/23/1998 11:51:00 AM
From: Gerald R. Lampton	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24154

Charles, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but, in re-reading your post on Friedman, it sounds like maybe you are too hung up on the fact that Friedman's theories of how the market should work don't conform to what you see going on in the real world. You take out some model, see that the world doesn't conform to the model, get all frustrated and emotional, and throw out the model along with everything that went into it. It looks to me like you are throwing out all of classical liberal economics just because the real world doesn't conform to the economic assumptions of perfect competition. Whether or not the world conforms to some a priori model is not the issue. The issue is whether the market mechanism, with its competition, whether perfect or imperfect, is better in the real world than the alternatives at providing the things people want. I believe that is it is, and just maybe you will too if you think about it calmly and logically.

To: Charles Hughes who wrote (21674)	11/23/1998 7:27:00 PM
From: John F. Dowd	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 24154

This sums it up pretty well: AOL Bid for Netscape Proves DoJ Allegations Against Microsoft Are Groundless, Trade Group Says PR Newswire - November 23, 1998 15:45 WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is the statement of Jonathan Zuck, Executive Director of the Association for Competitive Technology, on the proposed $4 billion acquisition of Netscape Communications Corp. by America Online. "The Justice Department has so far spent five weeks and untold millions of dollars to persuade a federal court that Microsoft's integration of Internet functionality into its Windows operating system presents a grave and serious threat to Netscape. "AOL's bid to acquire Netscape proves how wrong the government is. The company's $4 billion price tag highlights Netscape's incredible success in a dynamic and highly competitive industry. "The alliance is neither unusual or surprising. The technology industry is constantly changing as companies devise new products and new strategies to meet consumer demand. Acquisitions and alliances among competitors are the norm, not the exception, as each company tries to position itself for a future in which the only constant is constant change. "What this deal shows is just how quickly today's Davids can become tomorrow's industry Goliaths -- and just how quickly today's giants can fall. "The acquisition, along with the proposed alliance with Sun Microsystems, will combine the world's largest online service with the world's most popular Web site and a highly successful business providing software for building and managing Web sites. This triumvirate will overnight create the biggest and most powerful Internet enterprise ever seen -- one that will dominate the markets for Internet access, 'portal' sites, and e-commerce simultaneously. "Netscape's billionaire executives lobbied for a helping hand from the feds, claiming that Microsoft would drive the company out of business. The Justice Department bought it hook, line, and sinker. "By courting a $4 billion suitor, Netscape has proven that the government's case is wrong. Unfortunately, taxpayers are still stuck with the tab." SOURCE Association for Competetive Technology