if you read me carefully, rather than just react galvanically, you will see that what I'm saying is that free markets CAN work, as long as you regulate them properly and aggressively. After all, people who really believe the purpose of life is to dominate business can't be expected to follow the rules any more than professional athletes can be expected not to use steroids. There will always be those who will try and get away with it, and those who will wink and look the other way.

Or to use your own apologia "Free markets do not mean that fraud should be legal or that crime is acceptable, any more than the freedom to bear arms implies that murder should be acceptable or legal." You're absolutely right, of course, but laissez-faire markets and unrestricted gun ownership both lead inevitably to fraud, crime and murder. At least, they seem to in this country.