Ten years ago the Berlin Wall came tumbling down and government-planned economies were on the decline. Today, attorneys general from 19 states met with Microsoft to negotiate a settlement in their pending antitrust suit. Unfortunately, the state attorneys general have proposed the largest peacetime takings in history. They advocate a radical plan to take control and to nationalize the software industry in America. At its essence, economic regulation is a statement of belief.
Regulators believe that they know more about what is good for consumers than consumers do.
The world has changed a great deal in the last decade. Only eight years ago the Internet was first opened up to commercial activity, and just five years ago the first web browser was introduced. However, some people are slow to recognize change. Antitrust lawyers, led by the Department of Justice and joined by 19 state attorneys general have concocted a plan to micromanage our economy. In the Microsoft case, despite a lack of evidence to show consumer harm and a court of appeals ruling that found consumer benefit from the business practices now in question, the government proposes a takeover of the software company.