Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live." View all posts by Jimmy Akin
I have to laugh at the comments about buying Internet cars. The people I’ve known who’ve gone that route (granted, mostly for used cars) have learned the true spirit of “buyer beware”. Then again, I really like the service at my dealership (Saturn)…
Industry in general is a scam. I think the only solution is tighter government regulations.
Price gouging!
John Stossel is a fairly strong libertarian.
“Part of being a free person is deciding for yourself what’s in your interests. That doesn’t mean you can’t get expert help, but it does mean you get to decide when, how much, and from whom.”
Amen.
Now, if Mr Stossel would change his views on abortion. 🙁
Then again, I really like the service at my dealership (Saturn)…
Exactly — if people perceive a benefit from dealerships, Realtors, and so forth, they will use them. If they see no benefit, they shouldn’t have to buy a Realtor’s services in order to buy a house, or go through a car dealership for a car.
If anything, competition from the Internet will force such businesses to re-examine what they realy provide for the customers, and maybe do things in a more customer oriented-way.
You know what’s a scam? Laws that make it illegal to fiddle about in your home unless you are a licensed electrician. Obviously, if you don’t know how to do it, you won’t touch it, and if you’re stupid enough to fiddle with it without knowing what you’re doing, you deserve to be electricuted. There are heaps of people who have the knowledge to do those little jobs, but it is technically illegal simply because they are not electricians.
If some people had their way, you wouldn’t even be able to change a light bulb without calling an electrician.
Hey, calm down Rhys. If you lived in Oregon, you wouldn’t even be allowed to pump your own gas.
This has been going on for a long time — the auto industry did their best to eliminate streetcars and other forms of public transportation — in the Detroit area — where I live — it is practically non-existent still.
On a smaller scale, my sister recently tried to sell her house without using a realtor — she lives in a rural area and posted signs “For Sale By Owner” on corners of the nearest main roads – and kept having to replace the signs because someone would come and take them but would leave realtors signs on the same corners — finally her son coated the signs with slow drying shellac — but they still disappeared.
Where people are trying to make a living or a profit — there will always be dirty dealing — but I agree the government endorce or protect it in any way.
Oops typo — that is I agree that the government should not endorse or protect businesses from the market — ultimately that doesn’t work.
I’ll bite.
The fundamental flaw in Stossel’s analysis and liberal (libertarian) analysis in general is the presumption of honest brokers. The whole reason this infrastructure was put into place was to give consumers recourse against dishonest brokers, which ironically is the profession this article deals. So maybe you aren’t an idiot and can figure these things out. Great! Many people who came before you thought they were pretty intelligent too, and they were swindled. How do you think these laws came to us?
Take for instance insurance. Generally in this field you are required to be licensed. Additionally, you are required to have an E&O (Errors and Ommissions) Policy. If you don’t tell someone that something isn’t covered, and they have a reasonable belief under law that it should be, you are liable. The wronged party can recover real money for their real damages. They don’t just have an empty judgement against the accused.
In regards to real estate brokers, those places offering $250-$500 fees aren’t brokers. They assume absolutely no legal liability whatsoever as long as they aren’t engaging in brokering. Homes are expensive things. If someone doesn’t get recourse on a $150,000 transaction that is what we call a bad thing. Prices go up despite what the libertoids say, because risk is increased. Oh but you are willing to assume the risk. You (generic) and everyone else says that until the day they are the ones left holding the bag.
In regards to cars, you get more car for the money than you have at any point in our history. The utiopianists will claims that it would be so much better without all this regulation. I’m sorry. Before there were MSRP’s and the rest dealers made more money on vehicles. Consumers routinely got ripped off.
Greed fraud and excess profits along with lawyers soaking America dry are reasons Capitalism is all wrong.
We need to return to a Monarchy.
The ownership of most should beong to Mother Church.
Usary should be outlawed and the media tightly controlled by the Church.
Amen.
America – on the road to anarchy.
f you lived in Oregon, you wouldn’t even be allowed to pump your own gas.
You’re joking, right?
Actually no Billy. In New Jersey and Oregon it is illegal to dispense your own gas. I won’t attempt to defend that one.
33 years ago, in a city teeming with Sin, a statue of Our Lady of Fatima shed tears.
The archbishop took the statue and had the tears tested; they were human.
year after year this city welcomed those who would participate in a parade of decadence,
which was in reality a gay pride parade and celebration.
After 33 years, Heaven had seen enough.
Heaven rebuked the residents of that city
and literally all but destroyed it.
That city is New Orleans.