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Links and notes for discussion of problems of government and businessWhat we hear said about government and other constituents of society affects
what we think about limitations and possibilities regarding the improvement of
human life generally. Assumptions made in a partisan atmosphere often go
unchallenged and so can perpetuate confusion and flawed thinking.It is often said that government regulation intrudes too much into the affairs of citizens
and business, and that once government regulation is established, it remains whether
or not the regulation is of any benefit. However, business also regulates and, if not
restrained, can be destructive. Is the intrusion of government regulation as pernicious
as claimed? Whole sets of regulations have sunset clauses and must be reauthorized or
they expire completely. For example, the Clean Air Act reached its expiration date and
was vigorously debated with much representation of business. Standards for passenger
vehicle bumpers were significantly reduced in the eighties. If we assume that government
is as bad as is often stated, benefits that government provides may be lost. For example,
anti-trust law anticipates that some businesses may at times seek unfair advantage, which
would lead to reduced choice and quality of life for citizens. Mylan Laboratories, Inc.
provides us with discussion questions of the role of government. It has been suggested
that companies that do what Mylan has done do themselves no good, because short term
gains of this kind lead to long term decline. The problem I see with this belief is that
the average price of a share of Mylan is higher than before its program to corner the
market. Money made (don't forget mutual fund participants) will be as long term a gain
as any if it is moved by market fund managers from one corporation that has made great
financial gains by breaking the law to another corporation that has begun a similar cycle.
The penalty eventually imposed on Mylan will not in any way affect anyone who invested
in the corporation, seeing what it was doing, and then moved that invested money to
another that has begun to do the same kind of thing.
E-mail your comments to Tom at ToMMLI@netscape.netThe Supreme Court, ruling on a whistle blower case mid May, 00, re-affirmed that
corporations are persons. In a TOTN discussion about the same time, a participant
spoke of the history of corporations in America, saying that corporations were often
given the right to operate for a prescribed period of time and only when a public
benefit could be identified. We are looking for information on this, the question being
is perhaps there less regulation of corporations now than early in our history?Mylan Laboratories, Inc. 12/98 Federal Trade Commission press release on action
against Mylan
http://www.state.wv.us/wvag/cons/press/pr14.htm West Virginia Attorney General on
Mylan's price increases.
Market Guide - Price Charts for Mylan Laboratories Inc. (MYL) Mylan's increase
in share value etc.
Mylan - Amen-cmp Federal Trade Commission allegations Beat
ABCNEWS.com : FTC Blasts Generic Drug MakerGoogle Search: Mylan + Cambrex + Profarmaco
Americans pay more for medicine
stadium links Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting: Media