> It should be though. Unchecked monopolies, duopolies and oligopolies are antithetical to a free market economy - they stifle competition and make the market un-free as well
Some markets only support a natural monopoly though. If you forcefully break up every monopoly you'll always be in court, because after winning the case and breaking up a company, the next natural monopoly will form within a few years.
The best compromise is to only go after them if they're abusing their position. I agree the standards for that are too low though.
Agreed, particularly in agriculture and other rural scenarios it's very common that there is effectively one seller/purchaser for entire classes of goods. But there is barely any government oversight authority to watch over these or where any affected party can raise grievances.
Except the US government is constantly opening antitrust cases and successfully prosecuting violators on a monthly basis, you probably just never hear about it.
Some markets only support a natural monopoly though. If you forcefully break up every monopoly you'll always be in court, because after winning the case and breaking up a company, the next natural monopoly will form within a few years.
The best compromise is to only go after them if they're abusing their position. I agree the standards for that are too low though.