Fair competition, the goal of U.S. antitrust law in the form of the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which prohibits agreements in restraint of trade and abuse of monopoly power, gives the Department of Justice the mandate to go to court and stop illegal behavior and impose remedies. Most of us remember the formation of this statute from our American history classes when in 1911, the federal government broke up Standard Oil, the cartel formed by John D. Rockefeller in the late 19th Century.

Subsequent legislation, the Clayton Antitrust Act (to address price-fixing) and the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 further solidified the law of the land against the formation of cartels and other acts of collusion that are considered in restraint of trade, and put in place criteria for the consideration of whether mergers and acquisitions would lessen competition and prohibit the creation of monopolies and the abuse of monopoly power according to Wikipedia.

Now, we all know that everything we read on Wikipedia is 100 percent accurate, so why on earth do the architects of Issue 3 on the November Ohio ballot, ResponsibleOhio, include the word monopoly in the ballot initiative?

I’ll tell you why: It’s because they can, money talks, and the law balks, preferred by the super wealthy who arrogantly believe that the way to get things done is to spend it freely so that their advantage as part of the invisible hand keeps it that way.

And who cares if the formation of a monopoly in the state of Ohio controlling the means of production for the state’s non-existent legal Cannabis Industry breaks another law, since the black market already exists in spades? Because it is the “American Way!”

Money has always talked regarding the Feds interpretation of anti-trust policies. Remember when Ma Bell (AT&T) was broken up by the Justice Department into seven operating Regional Bell Operating Companies in the early 1980’s? Somehow, there is still an AT&T that competes nationally for consumer’s (you and me) communications budgets, which have grown ten fold since the break-up to include not only your local and long distance phone needs, but your TV/cable budget, your cell phone budget, and your Internet budget so that additional “competitors” like cable and dish companies (think Comcast, Verizon, and the same AT&T) and their affluent and institutional investors have a much larger pie to enjoy.

And, remember that Standard Oil break-up back at the turn of the century? Well, it’s now called ExxonMobil, the No. 2 company on the Fortune 500 which along with AT&T (No. 10), and Verizon (No. 15), are among the three or four conglomerates that dominate their industry sectors with the support of the FTC and other government entities entrusted by their citizens to protect their citizens against unfair competition, predatory pricing, etc.

Tell that to the American public who, up until recent months, was spending $3.50 to $4.50 a gallon for unleaded gas, and upwards of $250 to $400 monthly for their communication needs. Wait until we have to spend $500 a month for water supplied by your friendly local government supported public water monopoly.

But, I digress; it’s the “American Way” and it has been around in the form of those who have controlled the means of production since the beginning of time.

So Ohio, vote for Issue 3 if you want more of the same, let ResponsibleOhio control the means of production so the wealthy individuals that crafted and will ultimately benefit by it have no fair competition in state until Federal cannabis prohibition ends. That is when they will move up the food chain and have to compete with the really big fish, the black market turned state sanctioned entrepreneurs, now very rich, successful and legitimate Cannabis Industry cultivation executives, and their shareholders that are waiting to gobble them up.

Or vote “No,” even if in protest to delay the inevitable until the Darwinism takes over and the inevitable occurs, because only the strong (and very, very, very wealthy!) survive. Vote No so you can still exercise the one thing that you still have constitutionally — your right to vote “NO,” because it’s the right thing to do and it’s still the American Way.