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She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
June 9, 2012 Economic Illiteracy

Riddle me this. Policymakers detest “dumping” by foreign countries because those low prices hurt American corporations (ah, so sometimes we recognize that corporations are humans in disguise) via low prices and wages. Consumers of those products be damned (e.g. electricity consumers). On the other hand policymakers detest things like “privatizing” municipal water supplies and delivery because prices would inevitably rise (as they should, water mispricing is a serious problem). Suppliers of those products be damned. Is there any possible moral theory that recommends pursuing policies to “protect” some domestic corporations and not others and to “protect” consumers in some circumstances and yet not others? Ignore, too, the empirical observations about whether these “protections” end up working as intended.

"1" Comment
  1. Assume a state of status quo at a given time.  One could subscribe to a moral theory that holds that any change from the status quo that could potentially lead to a less desirable outcome for any individual actor – regardless of the benefit it brings to others – is immoral.
    Does this not explain those positions?

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