ucaetano

It isn't just "can't put them out", grain dust is explosive. Grain elevators are time bombs.

Wow, that's a surprisingly fair and neutral write up, really good work!

Exactly! Free market != laissez faire.

But a market where exorbitant costs of regulation drive up the minimum efficient scale to the point that no new entrants are possible is also not a free market.

Nope. It doesn't in any way.

A free market is one where prices are set based on supply and demand without restrictions on competition due to monopolistic powers, market reserve regulations, etc.

There are always limits to competition, some due to scale, some due to market size, some due to availability of resources. None of those prevent a market from being free.

Even antitrust regulation doesn't necessarily prevent a market from being free.

> Strong competition would mean dozens to hundreds of sustainable entrants.

Absolutely not, there is such a thing as minimum efficient scale. Some markets might only have room for 2 or 3 companies to operate efficiently.

Essentially, the flying buttresses are designed to hold the weight of the roof pushing outside.

Without that weight, there isn't much to prevent the walls from caving in.