XPost: soc.culture.nordic   
   From: ddfr@daviddfriedman.nopsam.com   
      
   In article ,   
    Anton  wrote:   
      
   > David Friedman kirjoitti:   
      
   ...   
      
   > > Could be. But whether a "business opportunity" is a benefit or a cost   
   > > depends on the price offered, at least in a situation where   
   > > "opportunities" cannot be freely rejected.   
   >   
   > That part is pure speculation. As you are so eager to seek solid proof,   
   > perhaps you practice as you preach and provide solid proof to that claim   
   > also?   
      
   The claim that whether it is a benefit or a cost depends on the price,   
   if opportunities can't be freely rejected? Isn't that too obvious to   
   require proof? If someone offers you the business opportunity to mow his   
   lawn for ten cents an hours and threatens to have you killed if you   
   refuse, it isn't it obvious that the opportunity is a cost?   
      
   Or do you mean proof that the opportunity could not be freely rejected?   
   That's harder. As I read the article, individual businesses could reject   
   the opportunity to export to the USSR. But those that accepted it were   
   subsidized by the government in the form of interest free financing,   
   which meant that those who didn't accept were still being taxed to help   
   pay the cost of the exports.   
      
   At the national level, various people here have implied that the trade   
   was part of a package deal, part of whose purpose was to let Finland   
   live at peace with its large and dangerous neighbor. And the article   
   said that the Russians pressured the Finns for increased exports.   
   Combine those, and it looks as though the "opportunity" could not be   
   freely rejected by Finland.   
      
   > > So far, the one assertion   
   > > about the attractiveness of pricing in the exchange that we have   
   > > evidence on turns out to be false.   
   >   
   > Partially so perhaps.   
      
   By "the one assertion," I meant the assertion about the price at which   
   the USSR provided oil to Finland.   
      
   ...   
      
   > PS. Followup-To: s.c.nordic and rec.arts.sf.misc.   
   >   
   > [Not that this subject is at all on topic for rec.arts.sf.misc, but   
   > because it seems likely that either David's server, his newsreader, or   
   > his computer skills are very very limited in capabilities in some ways   
   > that prevent him from subscribing to soc.culture.* groups ]   
      
   So rudeness for the sake of rudeness is contagious.   
      
   I don't subscribe to s.c.nordic because I have no reason to think the   
   rest of what is being discussed on it would be of interest to me,   
   although I could of course be wrong. My server currently carries over   
   30,000 groups, s.c.n. among them, most of which I don't subscribe to.   
      
   --   
    http://www.daviddfriedman.com/ http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/   
    Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.   
    Published by Baen, paperback in bookstores now   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)