((I should make it clear that TTL, New England stretches from Maine to Pennsylvania, as the term managed to become a byword for the North-East when I wrote the updates. Should have said that sooner)).
Mr. Khur, these companies formed from the break-up will not become as large as they wish to be. They shall endeavor to stay below 45% market share in order to avoid legal hassle. As for "lying to the face of every American", I never purported to present anti-trust as doing away with winners and losers. It's purpose is to let as many people as possible see which category they fit into. If someone is successful, they will be successful, and they will persevere. If someone is unsuccessful, their company will fall. The point is to give both the chance at success instead of having both fail by default because they were forced to fail by a company that has 85% market share.
Guess I could give an outline too:
Friends, I intend to today outline my views on the issues that our nation holds dear.
The economy, and monopolies in particular, trouble you most of course. Yes, I do intend to bring anti-trust legislation national. You have heard the howls and roars of the Titans, that they shall shut down industry, that anti-trust is anti-economy and unconstitutional. I ask them; if you were not a Titan, if you were a young entrepreneur, a colonist instead of King George III, would you consider anti-trust to be wrong? Now, I have heard other critics of anti-trust say that its main problem is not that it is anti-trust, but that it is too vague in its definition of monopoly. Mr. Carr recently articulated in a speech the susceptibility of the legislation to abuse. While I can see Mr. Carr's point, I must remind him that I graduated with from Harvard with a degree in Law, and am thus uniquely suited to the job of making the legislation as watertight as humanly possible. The Titans have the money to sway future legislators' decisions, and for that reason anti-trust must go through now.
When you ask me; "what of the government's role in the economy in general? You spearhead anti-trust and started up the NYSVS, surely you are a socialist?" I answer to you that I believe the government's role is to keep things fair and square. That is anti-trust's central purpose, to level the playing field. Nothing more. The New York Volunteer Service is there to pick up the pieces the private sector has disregarded, and give them employment until they can get a job in the private sector. There is a reason that companies in New York State asking for previous job experience ask youngsters "have you worked in the NYSVS?" instead of "have you worked?" Companies have grown to appreciate the training ground the NYSVS is for manual labor.
The last question is that of the Federal Budget. Many fear that we are heading for a deficit. It is a fear that I fully understand. They do not wish to see taxes raised, and thus wish to see programs such as health care and Volunteer Services cut. However, we are in a most unique situation in this country. The sheer size of our economy, the prosperity of our people, and the speed of our growth, allow us to not only have our cake, but eat it too. The budget of the United States Federal Government has for nearly a century now experienced a surplus of tens of millions of dollars a year. We can afford not only to keep our current expenditures, but also give tax cuts across the board, which will fuel growth further, and soon the Federal Government will end up with a bigger per annum surplus than today! Heck, if we wanted to, we could expand expenditure and cut taxes at the same time! The only direction is up, and the only question how fast we can go!
Many of you wonder what my stance is on unions and workers' rights. After all, my state has a reputation for disliking both. To you I say, worry not. I supported the National Labor Board, and believe workers' rights to be a most admirable cause. I have worked in the factories, and I have seen the progress made since those dark days when this nation's industry was harnessed to make war on itself. Employers need not fear either, for they are the glue that holds the system together. Workers must be protected, but the employer must also be allowed to make business. A worker has no use for a new security system if the costs of implementing it makes him unemployed.
In foreign policy, the United States has fallen prey to a peculiar sort of paralysis. We have so much faith in our own strength and security, that we do not even entertain the possibility of someone actually challenging us. While I do not advocate marching into South America and restoring hegemony through arms, I do believe in a policy whereby one must "speak softly, and carry a big stick". We must speak softly in the UPCA, in Chile and in Peru, where certain factions advocate bringing territory lost to Ecuador back into the nation, but we must also remind them of the big stick that is the United States Military. In the Commonwealth, we must speak softly to the British, for their stick is the only stick bigger than ours. We must attempt to act as a voice of reason in the ever-darkening skies of Europe, lest we become embroiled in an eruption of pent-up tension that will make Napoleon's Wars look like a day at the park.
Finally, immigration. I talk a lot about the American Dream, and I believe it extends to everybody. Our forefathers all arrived on this continent as immigrants, most with a spring in their step and a song in their heart. I think it a shame that there are people who believe a man has less right to his unalienable rights because he was born in Lancaster instead of Ohio. No quotas, no arbitrary restrictions. America is the land of opportunity. To quote a poet: Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp! Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free!
Americans, the horizon awaits, and it is beautiful!
Mr. Khur, these companies formed from the break-up will not become as large as they wish to be. They shall endeavor to stay below 45% market share in order to avoid legal hassle. As for "lying to the face of every American", I never purported to present anti-trust as doing away with winners and losers. It's purpose is to let as many people as possible see which category they fit into. If someone is successful, they will be successful, and they will persevere. If someone is unsuccessful, their company will fall. The point is to give both the chance at success instead of having both fail by default because they were forced to fail by a company that has 85% market share.
Guess I could give an outline too:
Friends, I intend to today outline my views on the issues that our nation holds dear.
The economy, and monopolies in particular, trouble you most of course. Yes, I do intend to bring anti-trust legislation national. You have heard the howls and roars of the Titans, that they shall shut down industry, that anti-trust is anti-economy and unconstitutional. I ask them; if you were not a Titan, if you were a young entrepreneur, a colonist instead of King George III, would you consider anti-trust to be wrong? Now, I have heard other critics of anti-trust say that its main problem is not that it is anti-trust, but that it is too vague in its definition of monopoly. Mr. Carr recently articulated in a speech the susceptibility of the legislation to abuse. While I can see Mr. Carr's point, I must remind him that I graduated with from Harvard with a degree in Law, and am thus uniquely suited to the job of making the legislation as watertight as humanly possible. The Titans have the money to sway future legislators' decisions, and for that reason anti-trust must go through now.
When you ask me; "what of the government's role in the economy in general? You spearhead anti-trust and started up the NYSVS, surely you are a socialist?" I answer to you that I believe the government's role is to keep things fair and square. That is anti-trust's central purpose, to level the playing field. Nothing more. The New York Volunteer Service is there to pick up the pieces the private sector has disregarded, and give them employment until they can get a job in the private sector. There is a reason that companies in New York State asking for previous job experience ask youngsters "have you worked in the NYSVS?" instead of "have you worked?" Companies have grown to appreciate the training ground the NYSVS is for manual labor.
The last question is that of the Federal Budget. Many fear that we are heading for a deficit. It is a fear that I fully understand. They do not wish to see taxes raised, and thus wish to see programs such as health care and Volunteer Services cut. However, we are in a most unique situation in this country. The sheer size of our economy, the prosperity of our people, and the speed of our growth, allow us to not only have our cake, but eat it too. The budget of the United States Federal Government has for nearly a century now experienced a surplus of tens of millions of dollars a year. We can afford not only to keep our current expenditures, but also give tax cuts across the board, which will fuel growth further, and soon the Federal Government will end up with a bigger per annum surplus than today! Heck, if we wanted to, we could expand expenditure and cut taxes at the same time! The only direction is up, and the only question how fast we can go!
Many of you wonder what my stance is on unions and workers' rights. After all, my state has a reputation for disliking both. To you I say, worry not. I supported the National Labor Board, and believe workers' rights to be a most admirable cause. I have worked in the factories, and I have seen the progress made since those dark days when this nation's industry was harnessed to make war on itself. Employers need not fear either, for they are the glue that holds the system together. Workers must be protected, but the employer must also be allowed to make business. A worker has no use for a new security system if the costs of implementing it makes him unemployed.
In foreign policy, the United States has fallen prey to a peculiar sort of paralysis. We have so much faith in our own strength and security, that we do not even entertain the possibility of someone actually challenging us. While I do not advocate marching into South America and restoring hegemony through arms, I do believe in a policy whereby one must "speak softly, and carry a big stick". We must speak softly in the UPCA, in Chile and in Peru, where certain factions advocate bringing territory lost to Ecuador back into the nation, but we must also remind them of the big stick that is the United States Military. In the Commonwealth, we must speak softly to the British, for their stick is the only stick bigger than ours. We must attempt to act as a voice of reason in the ever-darkening skies of Europe, lest we become embroiled in an eruption of pent-up tension that will make Napoleon's Wars look like a day at the park.
Finally, immigration. I talk a lot about the American Dream, and I believe it extends to everybody. Our forefathers all arrived on this continent as immigrants, most with a spring in their step and a song in their heart. I think it a shame that there are people who believe a man has less right to his unalienable rights because he was born in Lancaster instead of Ohio. No quotas, no arbitrary restrictions. America is the land of opportunity. To quote a poet: Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp! Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free!
Americans, the horizon awaits, and it is beautiful!
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