From: ipser@solomon.technet.sg (Ed Ipser)
Subject: Major Enterprise and the Entrepreneurs (TM)
Organization: TECHNET, Singapore
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 02:05:19 GMT



Major Enterprise and the Entrepreneurs (TM)

Episode 27,
"The Municipal Monopoly Maniac"



The scene opens as a police squad car, with siren blaring and lights
flashing, is trailing a minivan which is carrying a load of poor
workers home from work. The van slows to pull over to the side as the
passengers begin asking,

"Were you speeding?"
"Did you run a stop sign?"
"Did you fail to signal for a turn?"

The driver responds, honestly: "I don't think I did anything wrong,
I'm always a very careful driver. I better stop and find out what they
want." He comes to a stop at the side of the road and the police
advance, guns drawn, as he nerveously pokes his head out the window.

"What's wrong, officers?"

The first officer shouts: "Out of the car, you goddam profiteer, and
put your hands behind your head!" As the driver obeys, the second
officer walks up the other side of the van and opens the sliding door.

"You people, out!"

As they file out and stand on the sidewalk, they watch in horror as
the driver is handcuffed. One of them works up the nerve to ask what
is happening.

"Why are you arresting Mr. Lopez?"

"He was operating a passenger business without a license."

Mr. Lopez interjects, "I've tried to get a license. But those pendehos
down at city hall won't give them to noone except for the big taxi
companies."

"That's no excuse, citizen. You're going to learn the hard way that
you don't make a profit without permission from the government."

The passenger speaks out again, "but how will we get to and from work?
We don't own cars and we can't afford a taxi."

"You can always use the city bus."

"But the bus is so inconvient, it takes us an hour and a half each way
on the bus but Mr. Lopez gets us to and from work in less than 15
minutes each way and he charges only slightly more than the bus. And,
besides, the bus is dangerous. My sister was mugged and raped only a
week ago and the driver just kept telling her to quiet down or he'd
have an accident."

"That's your problem, not mine. You people should be on welfare,
anyway, not taking good jobs from honest union workers."

"Yes, sir."

The passengers look on forlornly as Mr. Lopez is led to the squad car
and taken away.



Cut to the police station where the Entrepreneurs have posted bail for
Mr. Lopez. As they leave the station, Mr. Lopez explains what
happened.

"I guess I should just give up trying to earn an honest living. It
seems like everything I try is blocked by some municipal regulation or
other."

Sonya responds, "don't give up, Mr. Lopez. This is America, you
shouldn't have to get permission from the government to make an honest
living."

Clint adds, "yeah, we're going down to Mayor Stevens' office right now
to straighten this whole thing out."



Cut to Mayor Stevens' office where Mayor Stevens is counting a stack
of money.

"What do you people want? I'm busy."

Lee steps forward, "we're here to talk to you about the registration
procedures for passenger services in this city. Mr. Lopez has tried to
get a license but they won't give him one and today he was arrested
for not having a license."

"Well, what taxi company does he work for."

"He's a lone operator serving a poor district of the city."

"A lone operator? You mean a profiteer! The taxi companies pay me to
keep people like Mr. Lopez off the streets. I'll bet Mr. Lopez didn't
even vote for me in the last election."

"But that's not right. Mr. Lopez should be able to operate a bus
service without your permission or, at most, with a fair licensing
procedure for the sole purpose of protecting passengers from
unscrupulous operators (setting aside issues of prior restraint for
the moment). You're preventing him from earning an honest livelihood
not to mention making his passengers use the decrepit city bus
service."

"Oh, grow up, son. This isn't the nineteenth century. If you want to
make money in this city, you have to grease palms, kiss butt, and
generally do things the way we say they should be done."

"We believe in a free market. We think you should change the law so
that anybody can earn a living in peaceful commerce with fellow
citizens doing whatever they are good at and needs to be done."

"If we allowed people to do that, how could I afford my estate and
expensive clothes not to mention my luxury cars and vacations. I have
a family to take care of too, you know."

"But you're making this money from rent seekers whose only interest is
to control the supply of passenger services so that they can earn
bigger profits. Not only does that lead to a suboptimal allocation of
economic resources, it violates the economic liberties of people like
Mr. Lopez not to mention his passengers. He has a right to earn a
living and violating that right is wrong."

"Nonsense, how can it be wrong? I'm the government, everything I do is
right by definition!"

"No, Mayor Stevens, that's where you're wrong. There's a higher law
that even politicans like you are responsible to. This country was
founded on the principle of inalienable rights."

"I am responsible to noone but my supporters. If you don't like it,
you can run for Mayor yourself. Of course, with the money I'm making
from the taxi companies and other vested interests, I'll squash you
like a bug."

"Well, we'll see about that."

The Entrepreneurs form a circle holding their rings together.

"Capital!"
"Labor!"
"Creativity!"
"Initiative!"
"Market Discpline!"

Thunder claps, shaking the building, and Major Enterprise, dressed in a
fashionable business suit and carying a brief case in his hand and a
laptop computer strapped accross his shoulder, enters the office
opening his briefcase.

"Mayor Stevens, since you won't listen to reason, I have no choice but
to use more persuasive means."

He hands the councilman a stack of photographs which the councilman
looks at carefully, raising his eyebrow higher with each one.

"Where did you get these?!"

"It doesn't matter. Suffice it to say that that young boy is receiving
counseling and you won't find him on the street corner tonight. Its
too bad your wife left you because life is going to be very lonely
from now on."

"Well, I really don't think we need to discuss this any further. Mr.
Lopez, I'm a fair man, I'm going to change the law. It's about time
that little people like you were allowed to make a living in this fine
city. You can resume your passenger services in the morning and I'll
have a license to you within a month, or sooner if I use a private
mail service. I assume I can keep these nasty pictures?"

"Well, I have the negatives, so you better carry through on your
promises. Otherwise, I'll personally run against you and with those
pictures, I'll squash you like a bug."

The Enterpreneurs and Mr. Lopez join Major Enterprise in rocous
laughter as the Councilman sulkily tosses the pictures into the trash.



Kids, tune in next week for episode 28, "The Global-Warming Scam",
where Major Enterprise saves responsible manufacturers from being
extorted by the sinister Vice-President and his evil band of
eco-crats.



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"Captain Enterprise" and "Captain Enterprise and the Entrepreneurs"
are trade marks of Edward A. Ipser, Jr. for his pro-free enterprise
action-adventure series.

Economics professors should contact the author for information on
Major Enterprise posters, work books, action figures, and other
teaching aids.