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>> New competitors enter the market, undercut the would-be oligarchs, and the process starts all over again.

> Except this isn't guaranteed to happen. And should someone try it, the oligarchs are established players in the market, with access to far greater amounts of resources than the startup. Hell, most of the time one of the oligarchs just buys the startup.

Completely agreed. I would put these sorts of shenanigans by oligarchs under 'barriers to entry,' which I identified as the cost of entering the market -- and which ultimately translates to markup on consumer goods. Barriers to entry are a bad thing in general(*), and are particularly despicable when they reward the corrupt.

Consider this line from Thinking in Systems: "According to the competitive exclusion principle, if a reinforcing feedback loop rewards the winner of a competition with the means to win further competitions, the result will be the elimination of all but a few competitors." Thinking in Systems comes across as a bit lefty to me -- I'd prefer a more neutral narrative -- but the system theory stuff is really good.

* There are some barriers that we create intentionally, by fiat of government, like copyright, patents, FFA, HAM operator licenses, etc. These things we should constantly measure to ensure that we are getting good value out of the barrier. Some would say the barrier of copyright, for example, has become more costly to society than the value it generates.

but have you considered road kill?

Please pay closer attention to what is happening in your world.

Mr Bush has created and deployed an entire US Army battalion on U.S. soil for use against U.S. citizens for the first time in history. And against 2 U.S. laws forbidding such actions.

The Army says,
"Despite conspiracy theories that this could be a first step toward martial law in the U.S., there won't be tanks on Main Street or active-duty troops putting down demonstrations. That is barred by federal law banning the military from being used on U.S. soil for domestic law enforcement.

        Instead, the soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Ga., have been training to back up civilian authorities in providing medical care and dealing with chemical, biological, high explosive or nuclear attack.

BUT,

Not only does this entirely contradict the first Army Times reports, it also egregiously misrepresents to readers the status of US law in regards to this deployment. Yes, there are laws against military policing on US streets -- they are part of both the 1807 Insurrection Act and 1879's Posse Comitatus Act -- but the Defense Authorization Act of 2007 gutted them.

Congress restored some limitations on the President's ability to deploy troops to engage in military policing in 2008 -- but President Bush issued a signing statement declaring he did not feel bound by those limitations. He also can direct these troops -- and the National Guard, and Blackwater -- to engage in military policing of civilian populations simply by verbally and unilaterally declaring a national emergency of whatever kind he wishes.

Unfortunately, the US Army spokespeople are parsing their words and misleading us. And, whatever the stated mission is today, the fact remains that military up the chain of command report to the Commander in Chief -- not to Congress or to you and me, and not to the Governors as most of the National Guard do."

Links to look at:
http://www.nationalterroralert.com/updates/2008/09/30/us-army-brigade-deploys-for-homeland-mission/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x394977

http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/index.php?p=1518

http://www.prisonplanet.com/concerns-about-deployment-of-military-on-us-soil-growing-while-mainstream-media-buries-its-head-in-the-sand-naomi-wolf.html

Oh, and Mr Bush has already threatened to declare marshal law ( when the bailout bill stalled, which would allow Bush to deploy that army unit.
Surely you've seen him and the infamous UTube video ?

House members threatened with 'Marshall Law' if they fail to pass bailout Submitted by Kathlyn Stone

Rep. Sherman (D-CA)says Congress threatened with Martial Law if bill not passed. 'The only way they can pass this bill is by creating and sustaining a panic atmosphere. That atmosphere is not justified. Many of us were told in private conversations that if we voted against this bill on Monday, that the sky would fall...there would be martial law in America if we voted no.'

http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/link.php?id=71196

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x205488

Watch how all this comes together and unfolds if McBush the 3rd
( McCain ) gets elected.

Those interested in this topic might also enjoy the book Welcome to the Machine Science, Surveillance, and the Culture of Control by Derrick Jensen and George Draffan. It's a thorough look at the cultural implications of all the tech and policies that go into the watching.

No, I'll probably continue to frequent my local independent bookseller.

I know it's not an option for everybody, but, you know, I just like to flip through the pages of a book before I buy it. Heck, I like to flip through books I don't buy. I like being around books. When I go to Amazon I'm just on a web site.