[ejonesie22]

There are places for government protection, such as it pertains to protecting life and over all economic health.

Given the current rash of mergers and the like, one could cede that they are fewer players, but we have been there before. The market will balance out as it has for decades. Big companies become inefficient and someone will pick up the slack. Indeed may small businesses have been started for that very reason.

In a free market there was never any guarantee of a level playing field anyways. Been there done that.

[padre35]

Federal Governmental and State Spending is at least 18% of the US Economy, the largest employer in the US is Walmart, number 2 is...The Goverment.

That is “why” I question whether or not such a huge apparatus to protect essentially private activity is the best use of taxpayers funds, it seems to me we are trading money paid in taxes for lower prices, a sort of snake eating it’s tail excercise.

Markets consolidate, that is the nature of things, however we may be seeing the rise of the Oligopolies right now, in sections that it will be hard to compete in such as Energy and Retailing and Banking and Media.

[hedgetrimmer]

The market will balance out as it has for decades

No it won't. The institutionalization of corporate influence in government through public/private partnerships and the creation of supranational institutions such as the SPP has overcome the free market and the individual right to representation in government. It guarantees the existence of enormous multinational companies as long as the federal government exists in its current debased form.