Markets and the Internet

I have noticed that there has been an increasing number of "hits" to my blog being directed by "Bing", which is Microsoft's response to Google. All in all, I view this competition as remarkably beneficial to the internet and its users, but I do fear the looming battle ahead - not online and in the form of marketplace competition (that would bestow upon humanity untold blessings) - but rather in the form of the lobbying efforts that will inevitably be ratcheted up by both companies in a bid to use the federal government as a way to impose regulations upon the internet and thereby squeeze out competition. That does not bode well for anybody, but unfortunately rent-seeking efforts like these will continue far into the future so long as the American people continue to view Washington as a public trough rather than a necessary evil.

The most popular map - by far! - is that of Switzerland's political boundaries. For such a geographically small nation, it sure does generate a lot of worldwide interest. My guess is that because it is so rich, and because it is so neutral, that the state has become sort of a beacon to the world on how to govern themselves democratically and freely. This is a position that the United States should strive to achieve, but conservatives and (especially) liberals seem to believe that the role of global hegemon is much more fitting for a "republic" than peace, prosperity, and freedom.

Neutrality does not necessarily mean avoiding war or giving in to the bellicose demands of a dictator. That is not what Switzerland is about. This a state that was, after all, surrounded by the Third Reich and still refused to give in or to comply with its dictator's demands.