Book Recomendations

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filc Posted: Wed, Nov 4 2009 1:36 PM

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I have a liberal friend who I'd like to make some reading recommendations for. He often comes from a standpoint where he arbitrarily decides what human needs are and thinks that governments should provide those needs because he thinks the market fails at it.

He made a comment to me today that he was scared that Comcast would become a market monopoly and raise the costs internet access and restrict it's use and degredate it's quality. I attempted to explain to him that natural monopolies tend to not exist but he has little economic understanding and fabricates fairytails to support his argument.

I ended the discussion because it was getting too ridiculous. Something about how Comcast becoming an ISP monopoly. SO he believed the state should provide the fiber backbone and lease rights to ISP's. I tried to explain to him that this actually WAS a monopoly by force and was able to cite him how inefficient it was. The city of Seattle paid for the installation of fiber below it's streets. No one has used it and as such taxpayers fronted a big bill for wasted resources. He thinks that because of this business's should be forced to use the city's pipe. We don't even know if it's adequate. Even though many ISP's derive a profit hes's not satisfied. Any ways I could ramble about the whole thing.

He ultimately plaid the "Voting is like a market" card. That turned into the validation of social contract ect....

These are the two books I was thinking of recomending.

Democracy: The god that Failed

Why Governments Doesn't Work

Neither I have read and am looking for advise. Should I recommend one of these or something entirely different?

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David Z replied on Wed, Nov 4 2009 1:45 PM

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filc:

He made a comment to me today that he was scared that Comcast would become a market monopoly

Depending on where you live, Comcast is already a monopoly, or very close to one.  We have basically three choices for hard-wired ISP where I live.

filc:

SO he believed the state should provide the fiber backbone and lease rights to ISP's. I tried to explain to him that this actually WAS a monopoly by force and was able to cite him how inefficient it was

Indeed.

filc:

He ultimately plaid the "Voting is like a market" card. That turned into the validation of social contract ect....

Except in the market, a plurality of choices prevails almost everywhere, and at all times.  In the political arena, with "voting", there is never a choice.

I would recommend Robert LeFevre's The Nature of Man and His Government.  It is very short and digestible.

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Will replied on Thu, Nov 5 2009 9:55 PM

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As my username implies, I highly reccommend reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. If you're not familiar with it, it covers about anything and everything from government, to morals, to the laws of existence, and also gives a good explantation of governments' effect on business.

Hope that helps.

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Jonathan M. F. Catalán replied on Thu, Nov 5 2009 10:05 PM

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I am thinking of something similar.  My political science professor has a very skewed view on what Capitalism represents.  Currently, I am writing a rather lengthy blog entry for my site on Capitalism and certain points that she repeats (these are consumption versus capital accumulation [she does not distinguish], Keynes'  paradox of thrift [as a fallacy], the concepts of money and barter and finally how economic freedom is also social and political freedom), but I'm interested in giving her a book as a present of sorts once the two classes I have with her are finished (Comparitive Government and a class dedicated to the environment and economics ... you can imagine what it covers and what it preaches).  I'm looking for a book that gives an explanation of Capitalism and the concept of liberty, but I'm not sure which is the book most adept for this (none of the books that I've read fit the bill [and I don't think Friedman's Capitalism and Freedom would be the best choice]).  Any ideas?

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Sukrit replied on Fri, Nov 6 2009 12:51 AM

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I STRONGLY recommend Harry Browne's book "Why Government Doesn't Work". It's written in simple and plain English (unlike Hoppe, etc. who write for an academic audience) and it has some fantastic zingers...e.g.

"The military is just the post office in battle fatigues". (explaining how both are inefficient)

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filc replied on Fri, Nov 6 2009 1:10 AM

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Will:

As my username implies, I highly reccommend reading Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. If you're not familiar with it, it covers about anything and everything from government, to morals, to the laws of existence, and also gives a good explantation of governments' effect on business.

Hope that helps.

I cherish Ayn Rands books close in my heart but I don't think they would be best suited for a liberal. I think I'll try "Why Government Does Not Work".

Thanks Everyone!

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Daniel James Sanchez replied on Fri, Nov 6 2009 1:10 AM

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Have him listen to this lecture by Thomas DiLorenzo on monopoly and competition.

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filc replied on Fri, Nov 6 2009 1:23 AM

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Thanks Lilburne!

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Daniel James Sanchez replied on Fri, Nov 6 2009 2:11 AM

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You're most welcome.

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Chieftain1776 replied on Fri, Nov 6 2009 6:18 AM

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I still (regretfully) have not read it but I've heard that Healing Our World is great for someone coming from a left-liberal perspective.

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energybackedmoney replied on Tue, Nov 24 2009 10:20 PM

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Your friend would argue with you much less about a lot of things if you convince him to read:

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt

I convinced a friend to read it and now our conversations about economics are a lot more productive.

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MB replied on Tue, Dec 1 2009 12:38 PM

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Your friend doesn't understand monopolies (big surprise).

How could a company become a monopoly in a free market?  The only way to do so would be to be provide a better product at a better price then anyone else, such that everyone would want to go to that company.  How likely is that.

And, once they have a monopoly (ie, they've driven out the other companies by providing a better product at a better prices such that everyone went to them and the other companies couldn't do so), they would then need to CONTINUE to provide a better product at a better price because once they stop doing that, then it would be financially possible for other companies to step in.

Comcast is already a monopoly in most areas for hard-wire TV/ISP.  BUT, it is due to the government, NOT the market place.  And they DO have competition, in the form of the phone company (which also offers TV & ISP) and satellite (which offers TV & ISP).  So long as those are there, you have competition and there really isn't a monopoly.  As the monopoly would be on the services (tv, isp, phone), NOT the method (tv cable, phone cable, satellite).