Argument I'm Currently Having Re: Deregulation

[ChoppinBroccoli]

One of my more notorious right-wing "friends" (I have that word in quotes because we were friends years ago in college, but haven't seen each other for a long time, and in the interim, he's apparently become a raving, right-wing nutbag) and I have an ongoing debate regarding deregulation. I have posed a challenge to him to show me a single industry that thrived under deregulation. I even backed off of it some and said, forget thrived, just show me an industry that hasn't completely collapsed under deregulation. He has come back with the airline industry (I don't know why, because I've already shot this one down successfully a couple times before--this one is just way too easy), and the trucking industry. I've been having a little more trouble finding evidence of problems with trucking deregulation. Anybody that knows of a good source, I'd greatly appreciate it.

However, in the discussion, he posts some article comparing the economies of California and Texas as his proof that deregulation, small government, and low taxes are the key to a strong economy (actually says that that comparison is, "all the proof you'll ever need"). I've been able to put up a pretty good argument showing that California's bad economy is the direct RESULT of rampant deregulation, but I haven't been able to find anything pointing to why Texas' economy would be strong. Is it the oil money? Or is it something else?

He also posted an article written by........get this.............Arthur Laffer. You have no idea how much fun I've had this morning blowing Volkswagen-sized holes into his use of Arthur Laffer as a source. I even found a video of Arthur Laffer from 2006 in which he's arguing (vehemently) AGAINST the idea that the economy was headed into recession. He even said, "the economy of this country has never been stronger." Check it out if you need a.........Laff? (rimshot, please)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU6PamCQ6zw

[Ian David]

1. Challenge him to a game of de-regulated Chess, where nobody follows the rules. n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. Arguably telecommunications has benefited from deregulation. n/t

[SheilaT]

3. Aah, yes, the airline industry.

Back in the late 70's when deregulation of that industry was clearly going to happen, we airline employees (I was a ticket agent at DCA at the time) tried to point out that small cities would lose service. We figured pay scales would suffer. There would be mass mergers, resulting in less competition, meaning less service, more expensive flights.

I left in 1980, right before deregulation really kicked in, and as the years went by and I saw how it went, I became more and more glad that I'd gotten out.

[mdmc]

4. ..

[Bandit]

5. You first need to explain why and how those regulations came about in the first place.

Once the reason for the regulations are known it becomes much harder to argue against them..