OT: protectionist practices?

[Fritz]

Alan Dayley wrote:
>
> - We are currently in a political environment where government is more
> interested in maintaining or increasing restrictions on the free market
> than they are in actually fostering innovation and free culture.
> Witness DMCA, attempts to mandate DRM, copyrights that last essentially
> forever, patents on any thing that starts with "e-" and changing
> regulations such that competition is stifled in the name of "providing
> incentives."
>
>   
The above paragraph seems somewhat ill informed.  It states, in part

    "We are currently in a political environment
       where GOVERNMENT (my emphasis) is more interested in ... "

Is there anyone on this list who doubts that these "free market 
restrictions"
(DMCA, Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, etc.) were brought
about by PRIVATE corporate interests (MPAA, RIAA, etc.) using their
well armed cadre of lobbyists?

Government itself has no interest.  However, the politicians occupying it
at any given time certainly do.  Most politicians like giving speeches and
getting re-elected and in todays times there's no better way to get 
re-elected
than to "sell your services" to potentially large campaign donors.

Our federal government has evolved into the "stick-up gun" for large,
private, corporate interests:  in essence a wealth transfer mechanism.

A question for all the libertarian, Second Amendment fans on this list:
When there's a handgun shooting do you blame the gun or the shooter?

Fritz

I've got my welding goggles on, flame away .......... :-)