The toman diaries

Scary commentary

søndag, april 25, 2004

Commentarys tend to be the most insightful and entertaining articles in most magazines and newspapers. They give the writer more room to elaborate and think things through than does the first serve, most money - breaking news..

Today however, I read a zdnet commentary by Grover Norquist, talking about the EU case against microsoft. He argues that the case disturbes the american economy by taking away the very foundings of competition.

I thought it was the other way around, that monopolys held up by anticompetitive actions such as withholding vital information for a competitior to actually compete, was the real threat to the economy. Oh no - he says Microsoft has gotten where it is right now squarely because of their hard work, innovative products and good marketing.

No arguing about the latter, but I think Grover Norquist needs a reality-check.

"Americans must be concerned about these latest developments because they spell trouble for our own economy. To the extent that our companies are forced to compete in foreign markets with one arm--or more--tied behind their backs, their overall competitiveness will suffer. The time spent waging legal battles, customizing products for punitive rules and regulations overseas, and monitoring an ever-changing sea of obstacles erected by foreign governments takes away from the ability of American companies to innovate."

I dont get this. Earlier in the article he says "To be truly successful, businesses must be willing to work internationally." - Is he arguing that because an international company is based in the US, it shouldn't have to worry about the rest of the world's laws and moral?