Net Neutrality Follow Up

The problem with liberals is that they see regulation as a given (OK, that's one of the problems). And they love to tell you about the details of their master plan. The authors of this NYT op-ed want just the right amount of regulation for the Internet. As I said the other day, "light regulatory touch" is oxymoronic. Here is a gem from the authors:

When it comes to the Internet and net neutrality, ensuring transparency promises to enhance the evolution of this dynamic market. Imposing heavy-handed rules about how providers can operate will only hinder it.

How do they suppose that the Internet came about in the first place? By some chance happening of a random collection of atoms? How did the market become "dynamic"? Not by regulation. Not at the point of a gun. But by the ingenuity of humans left free to think, using their own time, effort and money. And the results of the time, effort and money should be theirs to reap, not fodder for bureaucrats, and not handouts to anyone who did nothing to produce those results. Just like the leftist Greens, these liberals want their cake and to eat it, too - regulation, but the right regulation that won't stifle things. How is that working in the rest of the economy? Medicine, automobiles, airlines, financing, energy, etc. are all struggling under the burden of regulations. And I'm sure all of those regulations started out with a "light touch". The Internet will suffer the same fate.