[Grampa Dave]

Thanks John:

Here is the real meat of Walter's oped:

Another increasingly prevalent violation of the rule of law is seen in companies using government to overturn lost competitive advantages in the market. The Microsoft case is an example where its competitors, not customers, employed the heavy hand of government to accomplish what they couldn't accomplish in the market. It's increasingly paying companies to invest more resources, currying favor with government officials rather than investing those resources in real productivity.

Whenever a corporation like Whoreacle decides to buy/bribe the business like they did in Kali with Herr Davis, two things happen:

That company decides to invest in politicians instead of research or providing a better product/service with better people. The moment that happens, the corporation's corporate culture changes from good company to sleaze company from top to the bottom.

When a company like Whoreacle is rewarded or a company like Microsoft is punished, a clear message goes out to the CEO's/boards of other companies. That message is: To do business for example in Kali, you have to bribe Davis and his fellow rats. The Rat AG in Kali is still trying to sue and harrass MicroSoft and has done nothing re Whoreacle and the company that is revealed each day to have bribed Davis and his fellow rats including the Kali AG.

[MeekOneGOP]

Good eye, Grampa! I was about to capture that one pargraph and comment.
It always seemed to me that this lawsuit was brought about NOT because the consumer
was harmed, but Microsoft's COMPETITORS were crying foul. I never felt harmed
by Microsoft, did you? I don't see anyone else quoting Microsoft here until your
comment. This part bears repeating, imho............

The Microsoft case is an example where its competitors, not customers, employed the
heavy hand of government to accomplish what they couldn't accomplish in the market.

I like Walter Williams.........

[Scott McCollum]

You couldn't be more right about the situation in California regarding Oracle. “The scandal involving Silicon Valley-based database software behemoth Oracle and California Democratic Governor Gray Davis’ embattled tech office became more like an episode of a TV show – plenty of drama involving a powerful corporation, a politician running for reelection, big money changing hands, heated discourse during senate hearings, conflicting testimony, hastily called press conferences… Throw in some square-jawed actors and impossibly beautiful actresses pretending to be lawyers and put this show on Thursday nights at 8pm!”

To make matters worse, Ralph Nader is telling the Federal government to buy out Microsoft and nationalize our computer systems: “Ralph Nader, the self- styled consumer advocate, multi-millionaire champagne socialist and Green Party presidential candidate that stole votes away from Democrat Al Gore, blasted the Bush Administration for supporting the 'Microsoft monopoly' because Federal workers use Microsoft Office products. Most Federal Government computer and software purchases were made in 1998-1999 during the second term of the Clinton Administration.”