: : The only monopolies in history were the ones that were controled by the state. If a bussiness charges less for a product than anyone else can, thus achieving near monopoly power, who does that hurt?: Oh really! How was the old Rockefeller Standard Oil monopoly, the one that made 1907's anti-trust legislation famous, "controled (sic) by the state"? Evidence please.
A monopoly means that you have exclusive rights to a product that is in limited supply. Standard Oil didn't control the market for all eternity, they merely charged less for their product than anyone else. If they then decided to charge ridiculous prices for gasoline, tons of competitors would have come to take them out. Instead, the government took them out and 92 years later the biggest chunks of that company are merging(Mobil and Exxon)because they need to create a large company in order to sell for lower prices and make a profit, among other things. You see, if the market is not allowed to run it's course, it will repeat again and again until it can end naturally.
