Argentina seizes newsprint

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

Short story: Argentina's president, tired of criticism from popular newspapers, accused newsprint suppliers of favoring critics. As a result they seized all newsprint suppliers and will "fairly" supply everyone with paper. The defenders of this move argue that the newsprint dealer Clarin was unfairly crowding out others through an unfair monopoly.

This to me strikes to the heart of what it means to have a free gov't. The seizure and nationalization of a product is a long distant action from the issue of a monopoly being unfair. The gov't could have worked to show unfair business practices and dealt with them without the bias of a political hunt. Now we have, essentially, the gov't promising it will be fair and those who would keep an eye on them now having to go to the gov't to get their message about any possible impropriety by the gov't.

This is a disastrous recipe for the free flow of information. I'd say it's equivalent to SOPA in the US in the level of abuse it could allow.

Comments

[squidb0i.livejournal.com]

Sounds like someone's taking pages from Venezuela's Chavez' book.
Tsk.

So does this mean that you're against the exact same restriction of all media by total consolidation of same under a few large companies?

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

'So does this mean that you're against the exact same restriction of all media by total consolidation of same under a few large companies? '

Only in as far as they use their position to force out any others from accessing a limited market.

Some times you will have a limited resource and only a few will be able to take use of it. A good regulatory environment ensures the best use of it. But trying to force diversity in a limited market can be just as destructive.

Perhaps the newsprint vendor is unfair and duplicitous in its business practices. But the gov't didn't let a non-biased party determine that or set forth a plan of action that would engender fairness. They took the whole enchilada, so to speak, and did the worst possible thing.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

So does this mean that you're against the exact same restriction of all media by total consolidation of same under a few large companies?

How the heck do you even make such a comparison?

[kayjayuu.livejournal.com]

'Cause he doesn't like corporations?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Well, of course, but I was hoping for something a little more logical.

[mylaptopisevil.livejournal.com]

How the heck do you even make such a comparison?

Because some people recognize that the issue isn't government having ultimate control over something that is the issue, but anyone, including government having ultimate control over something that is the issue.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

So the latter people are just making it up as they go?

[mrbogey.livejournal.com]

"Corporation" is a boogeyman term. It all comes down to people collecting together and using their influence.

Oligarchy, Fascism, Communism... it's all groups of people acting.

[chessdev.livejournal.com]

Oligarchy, Fascism, Communism... it's all groups of people acting

Republic, Democracy... also groups of people acting together.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Not exactly. Oligarchies don't rock the boat. Communism creates a new oligarchy. Fascism is the cult of Khorne in real-life, all war, no peace. They work very differently for very different ends.

[dreadfulpenny81.livejournal.com]

Except this isn't a corporate issue, it's a GOVERNMENT issue. So is SOPA. It's government ruling over corporations. If one thinks corporations are a problem and think government should step in, this would be right up ones alley!

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

That's not a fair assessment. Without the corporate lobbying money that's fueling SOPA, it would never have come into existence. It's also likely that these lobbyists and their corporate sponsors have written some of the language of SOPA as well.

[chessdev.livejournal.com]

Likely? I think "guaranteed" is a better word in this case.

[enders-shadow.livejournal.com]

"Govt ruling over corporations"

Imagine this for a moment:

You are in a classroom. The teacher has the power over the students. You are a student. You want better treatment, in relation to the other students. You butter up the teacher and tell the teacher how important it is that STRICT RULES be put into place on the students. Just so happens all those rules favor YOU and harm your fellow-students.

Now you can say: "it wasn't me! it was the teacher!"

which is what mega-corporations are doing with our govt.

out of one side of their mouth, they complain about govt regulation, but with the other side of their mouth they tell the govt to regulate the shit out of their opponents

[chessdev.livejournal.com]

Oh PLEASE!! Next thing, you'll be saying things like corporations spend BILLIONS
on Lobbyists in Congress, and simultaneously funding "small-government" movements
such as the Tea Party.

I mean really...how likely is THAT to happen?

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

Shameful. Regarding SOPA, it's time to start boycotting companies that support this destructive legislation. Starting with GoDaddy.

[soliloquy76.livejournal.com]

I didn't even think of that angle. Newsprint is a dying medium, so I'm wondering how big of a deal (other than in principle) this really is.

[telemann.livejournal.com]

That depends on a lot of factors....how many have Internet access, what's the amount of government control of ISPs, I mean if they're going to control the paper that the news is printed on, I'm sure they will eventually choke off the Internet too. And finally, is the content of online newspapers free?

[airiefairie.livejournal.com]

Most people living in the estancias in rural Argentina still heavily rely on print press.

[meus-ovatio.livejournal.com]

I don't know what you mean by "free gov't".

[htpcl.livejournal.com]

Well Cristina always gets angry whenever someone contradicts the official government data about the inflation. She insists inflation isn't what it is, and it's what her government says it is. Don't agree? You know where the door is.

[underlankers.livejournal.com]

Argentina back to the same ol' shit again, I see. What a shame.

[paedraggaidin.livejournal.com]

A logical consequence of "fairness doctrine" thinking. And not surprising at all, considering the source.