One proper role for government is to discourage the formation of cartels like Debeers (which is not technically a monopoly, honestpartisan, but a syndicate), but too often it is government that creates them and true monopolies.

When I moved to Seminole county twenty years ago, five different garbage collectors served my street and I could choose the fee and pickup schedule that suited me. Then the county came up with a better way, offering franchises for neighborhood monopolies. Now, if you want to collect refuse here, startup costs may or may not be any different, but government itself has become the biggest barrier to access in this market.

Is the public served any better? We still pay about the same, but no one notices because the county now collects it from your mortgage company, and we no longer control rates or schedules. As for the original argument, that the competitve situation was inefficient and unprofitable, it’s hard for me to believe I would have had so many choices in an unprofitable market.

Also, honestpartisan, many roads and airports have been constructed privately, and it’s common for a business or residence owner to be able to choose from among multiple providers for utilities like phone service and electricity.