Monday, August 22, 2005

Why the Wright Amendment Is Bad for Dallas, by Virginia Postrel

Dynamist.com: "The Wright Amendment, whose existence rarely fails to shock out-of-towners, highlights the least attractive aspect of Dallas-area politics and economics: the prevalence of crony capitalism.
Local leaders may profess their devotion to markets and entrepreneurship. But when they make public policy, they tend to treat business as an in-group game of subsidies and protectionism. Real market competition, where winners aren't determined in advance and the pressure to improve service and cut costs never lets up, may be fine for restaurants and distribution centers. But all too often, competition is not the Dallas way for flagship companies or government services. The well-connected count. The general public, including businesses without effective lobbies, doesn't.
It's not surprising, then, that the public debate over the Wright Amendment has been conducted as though two big airlines and a big airport are the only interests that matter. Nobody much speaks for the traveling public. And, oddly enough, nobody speaks for the City of Dallas. The Wright Amendment particularly hurts Dallas residents and Dallas businesses. Yet the same city leaders who obsess over how to improve downtown and bring business to Dallas seem terrified to state the obvious: freeing Love Field would be a tremendous boon for Dallas. "

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