Re. the question of whether Microsoft should be broken up, you ask:
"Would such a breakup help Microsoft accumulate goodwill within the
industry and possibly spark more entrepreneurism within the ranks at
Microsoft?"
Whether the breakup would make Microsoft's competitors "feel good" or
whether the destruction of Microsoft would be a benefit to Microsoft (?)
are both irrelevant questions.
The relevant question is: By what *right* do you propose breaking up
Microsoft? Or better: do individuals have the right to the products of
their actions? It makes me sick every time some one cries about the
success of others, whether it be Disney crying about the AOL/Time merger,
or some envious little brat crying about the straight As received by the
"smart kid" in class. But bell curves and antitrust suits are not the
answer. All these proposals to "equalize" the playing field are simply
attempts to tear down the successful. To these people, I say: Grow up
already! Take some responsibility for your actions. And say "thank you"
to companies like Microsoft for making your actions that much easier. If
you continue to propose the initiation of force (i.e., antitrust
punishments), you will eventually regret it. Atlas will shrug.
Jason Roth
Writer/Editor-in-Chief (and Mac owner)
savethehumans.com
