The state attorneys general call for ongoing access to Microsoft s internal e-mail and for veto authority over significant business decisions. Economic regulation bears a heavy burden of justification. With computer and software prices falling more than a dozen browsers are now free the government is hard pressed to explain how Microsoft has harmed consumers. The recent settlement proposal is a step toward a governmental Department of Microsoft and a step away from consumers control of the marketplace through their purchasing power. 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.
This belief leads to some indefensible conclusions. For example, the extreme proposal of the attorneys general presumes that they know the best way to organize the marketplace and how to combine various software programs. This is absurd. The answer is so obvious that the only real question is how can we stand by while the government tries to nationalize an industry that has provided so much benefit to our country. Competition in a free market produces the best combination of quality, service and price while encouraging innovation.