Can a "free market" exist?

[It's That Guy]

The free market is an ideal. It has never existed in its pure state and it -can't-.

As you point out, capitalism contains the seeds of its own destruction. Capitalism depends on competition. But where there is competition there are winners. And where there are big enough winners, there is no longer competition. The natural path for any market is towards monopolies. So it takes a certain amount of govt. regulation to maintain competition. Too little is as bad as too much. But our attitude today is that -any- regulation is bad.

The whole history of govt. regulation in the US is totally anti-free-market. Some new thing starts, like broadcasting 100 years ago or aviation in the 1920s. At first it's a free-for-all. Until one big company manages to pull ahead of the others--RCA and Westinghouse in one case, United and Pan Am and American in the other. Then these big companies go to the government and say 'You have to regulate so we can protect our markets!' And the regulations are written to give these 'winners' an open track to oligopolize the entire market. Then, after 50 years or so, the big companies are so solidly entrenched that they find regulation stifling, so they go to government and say 'Regulation is killing us! You have to de-regulate!' And the govt. deregulates! So the purpose of both regulation and de-regulation is to reward the winners and quash competition.

Karl Marx predicted that corporations would grow larger and more powerful. The more powerful they got, the more influence they'd have over governments until, eventually, the corporations would become more powerful than governments. At that point, corporations would no longer 'belong' to any one nation. They would become 'global capital' and search the earth for the cheapest labor and resources and the richest markets. He made that prediction 150 years ago, but if he was around today he'd be saying 'I told you so!'

[Father Creepy]

(Your question is going to fly over all of their heads)

Money is a representation of power and people with power tend to use power to maintain and gain more power. So you are correct, people with power will manipulate the market in order to maintain their power. So there will never be a truly free market, it is an utopian ideal.

[MIB]

Free markets exist very well, thank you!

Check out Cambodia for instance.

[Zen]

Free markets are a good idea, but many times they fail due to greed.

[nubsnovets]

Yes, but it needs to have a better plan than the way it does now. For example, if the US buys a product from a country like China there should be considerations taken. When a country pays little to their employees like China, we should balance this out and penalize them. Perhaps this would push China into treating their citizens better. Or better yet, tell places like China that if they use slave labor or child labor we will not trade with you. This is why we are loosing so many jobs over here because of Free Trade. Free trade could work but not under the conditions it is set now. I think that the globalists are trying to bring down the American economy because of their globalist ideas. They are wanting a one world government. That means that the US will have to join in a North American Union, to do this we have to lower our dollar and economy while at the same time raise Mexico's.
Another example of how our current free trade system is wrong, look at South Korea. We are forcing our US meat at them. They are rioting over there. But if Korea does not comply then will be consequences to their decision. I do not think that is right either. We should not be forcing our contaminated meat on another country. I believe that they came to an agreement. As long as we only send younger beef over there (because it has a less likely chance of being contaminated with mad cow disease) that they will accept our beef. So, who do you think will be forced to buy the older meat? Us here in the U.S.

The way free trade is set up, it is as if someone is trying to destroy the United States. I hope they do not succeed.

[Kenneth B]

A totally free market is only a concept, like pure communism
( to each according to his need, from each according to his ability ) is only a concept, neither can exist in the real world.

Attempts to make such monstrous societies self destruct, which is why America moved away from a Laizzes Faire philosophy about 100 years ago, (ending the unbridled reign of the robber barons ) to one of government involvement in economic externalities. Somewhat short of socialism, we dance along the edge of socialism....as communist nations dance along the edge of a market economy.

[drakexx]

God forbid that the free market concept expands beyond the ravages it’s already imposed in downsizing and outsourcing and the chasm separating rich and poor. None of this is a new development; the deregulation administered in the 70s during the Carter boondoggle is just now effecting the final stages in the collapse of the airlines.

[Mephisto]

Yes, it exists today.

Since the Jacksonian era - Foreign Affairs Tariff of 1828 under the JQ Adams Administrastion

This tariffs ar continuosly modified when it benefits US.

Sometimes resulting in law suits at the WTO of which we sometimes loose.

[mtheoryrules]

It is free because the government does not control it, in theory.

[Diana]

Free markets do not exist in reality, neither do democracies.
These are just theories. At best, the society "tries" to achieve them and be closer to them. Practically, free markets cannot exist due to the human nature. Also, democracy (like the books says) cannot exist for the same reason of human nature.
Currently, both free market and democracy are used as covers and reasons to justify the actions of governments all over the world. Sadly, free market claims are a good cover to corruption, and when governments speak too much about democracy, they are closer to totalitarianism.