Why Economic Dependence on Others Is a Good Thing:
Economic dependence is not the same as political dependence. Say that you wanted to buy widgets and sell them in your store. Assume that the best offer you received to supply the widgets was $3, and the next best offer was $5. The freedom to choose the lower-cost option is economic independence. Which ever supplier you choose, you become economically dependent on that supplier, in this case, the lower-cost supplier. Let’s say the supplier of the $5 widget has a sterling reputation for delivering quality widgets, and on time. But you choose the supplier with the $3 widget, taking the risk that the supply of widgets won’t be interrupted, the cost won’t change, or he stops selling to you altogether. You become dependent on that seller’s choices (concerning his own business operations), and his continued willingness to sell to you at the original price. The potential harm or risk to you is the $2 difference between the best offer and the next best offer.
