Comments on: God’s Word, Adam Smith’s Invisible Hand, and the Power of Two Percent – Part I http://jcarrot.org/god%e2%80%99s-word-adam-smith%e2%80%99s-invisible-hand-and-the-power-of-two-percent-%e2%80%93-part-i Jews, Food, and Contemporary Issues Mon, 21 May 2012 04:07:24 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: invisible_hand http://jcarrot.org/god%e2%80%99s-word-adam-smith%e2%80%99s-invisible-hand-and-the-power-of-two-percent-%e2%80%93-part-i/comment-page-1#comment-3656 invisible_hand Sun, 09 Dec 2007 20:19:18 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/god%e2%80%99s-word-adam-smith%e2%80%99s-invisible-hand-and-the-power-of-two-percent-%e2%80%93-part-i/#comment-3656 i agree with the above poster. it's not competitive advantage or anything resembling a "free market" with equal opportunity if the industry holds the people it is serving (supposedly) hostage. rabbi mandel decides a priori that Conservative rabbis are not experts in kashrut, but that's an assumption that is never proven. the real issue is how the image of Conservative Jews and rabbis is promulgated in the Orthodox community, which is slanderous, to say the least. also: what in the world is he talking about when he says, "cheap kosher meat." if there is cheap kosher meat, i would like to know about it. the market is held hostage, the mafia, i mean the OU gets to charge what they want. lastly, if kosher meat establishments decide to adopt ethical practices, the deciding factor is not what effect it will have on the treyf meat establishment. for one thing, the treyf meatpacking plants, on average, treat their workers much better than we do and also have plants that are far more up to code. non-kosher meat plant workers make about double what kosher plant workers make. secondly, this is no excuse not to clean up our own house. there is no excuse that can be made that will try to claim that this food is more holy, or pure, but there's so much evil going into it. i agree with the above poster. it’s not competitive advantage or anything resembling a “free market” with equal opportunity if the industry holds the people it is serving (supposedly) hostage. rabbi mandel decides a priori that Conservative rabbis are not experts in kashrut, but that’s an assumption that is never proven. the real issue is how the image of Conservative Jews and rabbis is promulgated in the Orthodox community, which is slanderous, to say the least.

also: what in the world is he talking about when he says, “cheap kosher meat.” if there is cheap kosher meat, i would like to know about it. the market is held hostage, the mafia, i mean the OU gets to charge what they want.

lastly, if kosher meat establishments decide to adopt ethical practices, the deciding factor is not what effect it will have on the treyf meat establishment. for one thing, the treyf meatpacking plants, on average, treat their workers much better than we do and also have plants that are far more up to code. non-kosher meat plant workers make about double what kosher plant workers make. secondly, this is no excuse not to clean up our own house. there is no excuse that can be made that will try to claim that this food is more holy, or pure, but there’s so much evil going into it.

]]> By: Josh http://jcarrot.org/god%e2%80%99s-word-adam-smith%e2%80%99s-invisible-hand-and-the-power-of-two-percent-%e2%80%93-part-i/comment-page-1#comment-3647 Josh Sun, 09 Dec 2007 04:29:34 +0000 http://jcarrot.org/god%e2%80%99s-word-adam-smith%e2%80%99s-invisible-hand-and-the-power-of-two-percent-%e2%80%93-part-i/#comment-3647 Rabbi Mendel says: "Regarding competitive advantage, he said the Conservative movement’s rabbis are not experts on kashrut.... This is about competitive advantage, not God." I can't believe the chutzpah this guy has. This is in fact not what competitive advantage is; if indeed Orthodox rabbis have a competitive advantage in kashrut supervision, then Conservative rabbis won't be successful offering their services as kashrut supervisors. But that's for the market to decide. Part of Adam Smith's insight is that you don't need someone like Rabbi Mendel deciding who should be in any particular business; you can try, and if you have a worthwhile product or service, the market will help you be successful. Otherwise you'll go out of business. In other words, if Orthodox rabbis have a competitive advantage in kashrut supervision, they have nothing to fear from Conservative rabbis trying their hand at it. Rabbi Mendel's attempt to discourage them, however, is precisely because the Orthodox "competitive advantage" does not exist; Conservative rabbis entering the field of kashrut supervision could probably displace some Orthodox ones, and that's what's worrying Rabbi Mendel. Rabbi Mendel says: “Regarding competitive advantage, he said the Conservative movement’s rabbis are not experts on kashrut…. This is about competitive advantage, not God.”

I can’t believe the chutzpah this guy has. This is in fact not what competitive advantage is; if indeed Orthodox rabbis have a competitive advantage in kashrut supervision, then Conservative rabbis won’t be successful offering their services as kashrut supervisors. But that’s for the market to decide. Part of Adam Smith’s insight is that you don’t need someone like Rabbi Mendel deciding who should be in any particular business; you can try, and if you have a worthwhile product or service, the market will help you be successful. Otherwise you’ll go out of business.

In other words, if Orthodox rabbis have a competitive advantage in kashrut supervision, they have nothing to fear from Conservative rabbis trying their hand at it. Rabbi Mendel’s attempt to discourage them, however, is precisely because the Orthodox “competitive advantage” does not exist; Conservative rabbis entering the field of kashrut supervision could probably displace some Orthodox ones, and that’s what’s worrying Rabbi Mendel.

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