Ryan Johansen

Humanities 1010
12/5/19

The event I attended for this project was a conference discussing anti-trust practices

within the United States. It took place on October 25th at the University of Utah, and I attended

from 9:45-11:45. It was moderated by a University of Utah Economics professor, and

participants included judges of the Utah district court, and attorneys and law professors from

across the country, as well as various economists. I chose this event to be civilly engaged,

because I believe that knowledge of the government and the economy can, and often do, play

into the lives of each person individually. Anti-trust laws in particular can affect people and their

personal lives, because it directly influences the goods and services that everyone uses. Due to

this, I believe that it is best to be informed, so that when the time comes to participate, you have

a valid ability to add to the discussion and help support our communities. There was much back

and forth between people who wanted more versus less governmental influence with regards to

mergers and trusts. Although it was often discussed in terms of protecting the market, it was

clearly for the sake of the consumer in the end, because that is the most vital part of a market,

and all of us are a part of that system.

I tend to agree with Henry David Thoreau who said: “The government is best which

governs least”. This is a topic that was thoroughly debated in the conference, and it is a major

point of contention between Democrats and Republicans. In this case, it is important to note that

much of this originates with some of the original laws necessary to govern and protect larger

societies, such as ancient Rome. As stated in the textbook Landmarks in Humanities on page 73

“They placed these laws on view in the Forum, the public meeting area for the civic, religious
and commercial activities of Rome.” Later on the same page it continues that “For some 500

years, praetors and jurisconsults interpreted the laws, bringing common sense”. This shows a

very early precedent for much of our governmental structure, and even the very conference I

attended.

In my opinion there is no need for governmental expansion into more restriction of trusts.

It is necessary to a degree, but at the same time, too much regulation can dissuade companies

from expansion, and ultimately hurt the economy. There are definite cases where the opposite is

true, and the over expansion of various companies could destroy a market, but it is not true in all

cases. In some cases it allows for more competition, which is better for the market. It can allow

smaller companies to increase in size and become viable competitors for other larger companies,

and this competition can bring prices down, and cause each company to strive for more

competitive wages, which only serves to help the economy.

This conference was very interesting to me. Before this project, I had not really thought

of a conference like this to be a strong example of civil engagement, but I have discovered that it

brought together many people of this community, and it also gave me desires to become more

civilly conscious and engaged in other aspects of my life. This has made me a more responsible

citizen, because I am now more aware of the overarching affect that this can have on myself and

my community, which motivates me to want to do more. This has been a positive experience, I

have learned a lot, and would definitely be willing to do this again, and even engage in my

community in other ways that I haven’t before. It is very easy to get very busy with your life, so

taking time to consider the world around you can help make important distinctions, and help me

to be a better person.