Comment on William J. Curran III's Commitment and Betrayal

• Date: 01 June 2016
• Author: Alan M. Barr
• Published date: 01 June 2016
• DOI: 10.1177/0003603X16641236

Article

Comment on William J. Curran

III’s Commitment and Betrayal:

Contradictions in American

Democracy, Capitalism, and

Antitrust Laws

Alan M. Barr*

Mr. Curran takes the bleak view that America’s huge wealth disparity has compromised our democ-

racy.

1

Twenty percent of the population owns 90%of the nation’s wealth. Fortunes are protected by a

government that keeps taxes low and corporate profits high. Huge inequalities have turned our democ-

racy into a myth as presidents, Congress and the Supreme Court have ‘‘locked’’ the country ‘‘into

nineteenth-century philosophies and laws.’’ Our system is ‘‘rigged’’—‘‘capitalism requires capital-

ists,’’ and laws are fashioned to suit them and dominate our governance.

The deficit of democracy persists despite our frequent and regular elections, which take place in a

country where economic inequality brings fewer opportunities for the nonwealthy and preserves

wealth’s entitlements and social position. Democracy requires more, and to save it, structural changes

are required and the current distribution of wealth must be changed. As other nations have enacted

reforms that ‘‘directly and immediately attack’’ inequality while preserving democracy, so must we.

These inequalities stand between us and the ‘‘authentic democracy’’ that the U.S. has never completely

known.

Curran puts antitrust in his crosshairs. Dominance protected by law is a betrayal and antitrust

laws are among the guilty. They have helped create the world’s largest corporations, largest

personal fortunes, and largest inequalities. The Sherman and Clayton Acts sparked corporate

growth and disproportionate wealth distribution: ‘‘[I]f capitalism requires competition, and com-

petition requires inequality, then antitrust laws by supporting capitalism will also contribute to

*Former Assistant Attorney General for the State of Maryland and Deputy Chief, Antitrust Division, USA

Corresponding Author:

Alan M. Barr, 7713 Matthias Street, Philadelphia, PA 19128, USA.

Email: barra@philau.edu

1. William J. Curran III, Commitment and Betrayal: Contradictions in American Democracy, Capitalism, and Antitrust Laws,

ANTITRUST BULL. (2016, this issue).

The Antitrust Bulletin

2016, Vol. 61(2) 256-261

ªThe Author(s) 2016

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DOI: 10.1177/0003603X16641236

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