The rebirth of the Reagan antitrust movement

By Lewis K. Uhler & Peter J. Ferrara

Thanks to the recent efforts of Congress and the White House, the United States is moving back to President Reagan’s approach to antitrust — nonpartisan, light regulation to ensure the interests of consumers, not corporate interests, are prioritized.

Reagan’s Department of Justice recognized that government involvement in the economy often produces the corrupt result of raising prices and picking winners and losers in the marketplace. But fear of consumer abuse still prompted occasional antitrust action, typically with consent decrees, to increase competition in areas where large governmental footprints exist.

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