I agree, "Supply and Demand" is not a law anyone is obliged to obey. Capitalist economics do work pretty well most of the time. Ironically, they work by recognizing that human beings are basically greedy and selfish and will only make the effort to be productive if there is some personal gain in it for themselves. Socialist economics failed because they unrealistically expected people to work hard even though they gained nothing by it. If one wants the definitive analysis of how an overoptimistic world view leads to tyranny in the end, one need only read George Orwell's classic "Animal Farm".
However, there has never been a perfectly capitalist society and hopefully there never will be. All societies have laws which limit the operation of "Supply and Demand". Parents are required to support their children, for example, even though there is no "profit" in this. There are minimum wage laws, maximum work hours, etc. Many people choose careers or businesses for reasons other than maximum profit. I think this is especially true in the bike business. Many people I have encountered in the bike business chose it because it was a lifestyle which appealed to them, even though they might have made more money elsewhere. Many in the business have spent years in high tech, or some other industry where capitalism reigned supreme, and become disgusted with it. They went into the bike business to be able to deal with people in what they felt was a more friendly and decent way. Many frame builders, for instance, have an idea of what is a fair price, which is not automatically "all the traffic will bear". They also want their frames to be affordable by enthusiasts would don't happen to be wealthy. People should live their lives as they believe right and not be intimidated by the foolish notion that Capitalistic "Supply and Demand" is some sort of law to which we are slaves.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
> Just because there is an exchange of money and services, does not mean
that
> such principles as "supply and demand", "maximize profits" or "put it on
eBay"
> must take affect.
>
> If this were the case, I would not have three of Brian's personal bikes.
> Brian has helped me with bicycles since 1975, freely sharing his knowledge
and
> love of sport. In this day and age of paid "coaches", racers who don't
know how
> to replace a derailleur cable, and highly priced components that don't
last a
> "season", it's reassuring to know there are people like Brian (and
Richard,
> Fred, Ralph Carnevale, Gian Simonetti, Ernst, Skarin, etc).
>
> Wes Oishi
> L.A.