>coupled with governmental regulation to protect us and the
environment from its excesses.

...at least to this reader, it sounds as if you are casting 'governmental regulation' as something that 'protects the people' from the dark side of the free market.

Unfortunately, it isn't so easy.  If the free market is a rock, then 'governmental regulation' is nothing more than a hard place.

Speaking for myself in our current technological/economic climate, I'm much more comfortable with a free market 'big brother' (ie, Google) than a governmental one.

Governmental excesses are much harder to fix than those that stem from the free market.

Frank Herbert (who wrote 'Dune') wrote some books in which (in a future time with all kinds of amazing technology), it is recognized that government is both necessary and intrusive.....the most powerful branch of government becomes the Bureau of Sabotage...dedicated to flinging red tape (and covert ops) to keep the progress of government stunted to a slow crawl.  It is recognized that the less the government is able to accomplish, the better it serves the people.

deknow

             ***********************************************
The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software.  For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html