Free Republic

The US economy is based on a free enterprise system where the markets, not the government, determine prices. For this system to function properly, there must be competition. "The fundamental purpose of our antitrust laws is to preserve competition and prevent markets from being monopolized," says George A. Hay, Charles Frank Reavis Sr. Professor of Law and professor of economics at the Cornell Law School. "If we had widespread monopoly our economy would be much worse off." The first of those antitrust laws is the Sherman Antitrust Act, enacted in 1890. ... There are three main parts of the Sherman...

I have made no secret of my distaste for big oil. So, now, I will build a case why it would not only be beneficial for society to break them up, but, under Sherman Anti Trust it is perfectly legal. Here is the relevant portion. The Sherman Antitrust Act (Sherman Act,[1] July 2, 1890, ch. 647, 26 Stat. 209, 15 U.S.C. § 1–7) was the first United States Federal statute to limit cartels and monopolies. It falls under antitrust law.