We are often told that regulations are needed to “level the playing field” and promote competition.
Using government force to “level the playing field” means that a businessman must act contrary to his own judgment: he must charge a higher price, produce an inferior product, or take some other action that he believes will harm his business. This means that, in the name of competition, the businessman is prohibited from doing his best. To use force to promote competition is, as Ayn Rand wrote, “a grotesque contradiction in terms.”
Competition results when someone thinks that he can do something better or faster or cheaper. And that cannot be compelled by government decree—force negates judgment. Freedom sanctions an individual’s right to demonstrate his vision. Government coercion renders his vision impotent.