In article ,
Vox Humana wrote:


Of course I don't believe that. I do believe that people have the right to
enter into contractual agreements with each other. I believe that if you
don't think the term of the contract are reasonable, then you shouldn't sign
it. If you think that your association has passed rules that are
unreasonable then you have the right to lobby to change or abolish them.
You have the right to sue in court for relief.

But when the contractual agreements are made in such a way that
precludes any other choice, it is not merely a contractual
agreement. For instance, the Supreme Court of the United
States for many years ruled all minimum-wage laws unconstitutional
precisely through your argument -- the government did not
have the right to interfere in contracts between two free
persons, no matter how exploitative they happen to be.

However, of course, things are never quite that simple. Markets
are never truly open or free. People don't have the kind of
choice that pure free-market advocates pretend. There are
many times when "if you don't like it -- shop somewhere
else" merely ducks the real issue. It doesn't work with

In the Unites States, for instance, we have abandoned that
attitude when it comes to racial discrimination, to minimum
wage, to mandating a safe and healthy workplace, and in many
other areas. We recognized that the cry of free contractual
choice is nothing more than an excuse for immoral and
unethical exploitation.

billo