"Laissez-Mother-F#©kin'-Faire Economics"

-- Posted by Neil H. Buchanan

Last month, in "The Business of America," I wrote:

"Was Tony Soprano America's greatest fictional capitalist? One occasionally hears of real-life mafia bosses who defend their activities as 'just doing business,' and who are willing to say with a straight face that they are simply pursuing profit in a competitive environment. I suspect that some of them actually believe their own words.
...

"For a long time, it was extremely difficult to prosecute mafia bosses, under the laws that then existed. Congress then passed RICO, which (although quite controversial on civil liberties grounds) radically changed the game. One mob boss was recorded screaming about RICO, as his organization was crumbling under the weight of criminal prosecutions."

Last night, on The Daily Show, correspondent Jason Jones submitted this segment (just under 6 minutes):

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Free Market Threat
www.thedailyshow.com
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Which raises at least two questions: When did the staff of The Daily Show start reading Dorf on Law? And when are they going to do a piece on Professor Dorf's most recent con law exam, or on my writings about economic efficiency?


As an added bonus for readers, I also provide this link to an interview on last night's episode of The Colbert Report, with a surprisingly feisty 90-year-old John Paul Stevens easily besting Stephen Colbert (just under 7 minutes):

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
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Stevens vs. Stephen: age dominates beauty, brains dominate bluster. Makes me proud to have been on the former Justice's side so often.