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Businessmen, Engman observes wryly, "love free enterprise but hate competition, which is something for the other guy." He sees the FTC as "the policeman on the economic beat," charged with ensuring that free competition survives. Yet though he wants smaller businesses to survive, he has no sympathy for inefficiency. In fact, his assault on outmoded federal regulatory agencies stems from his belief that they perpetuate poor business practices. He argues that the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Interstate Commerce Commission have allowed the regulated transportation industries to become "federal protectorates living in a cozy world of 'cost-plus,' protected from the ugly specters of competition and innovation." The resulting inefficiencies, he charges, feed inflation.
Critics complain that Engman's emphasis on antitrust may mire the FTC in years of litigation, to the detriment of its consumer watchdog activities. But defenders of his legal activism point to the fact that for the first time in years, top law-school graduates are seeking jobs at the FTC. One current question in Washington is how long Engman will be there to lead them. It would be no surprise to some Engman watchers if, when Michigan Democratic Senator Philip Hart retires after his current term, Native Son Engman tries for his seat.