"I never had an animus against Standard Oil's size and wealth, never objected to their corporate form," wrote Ida Tarbell in her autobiography. "I was willing that they should combine and grow as big and rich as they could, but only by legitimate means. But they had never played fair, and that ruined their greatness for me."

Rockefeller, of course, disagreed: "It was the law of nature, the survival of the fittest, that [the small refiners] could not last against such a competitor. Undoubtedly... some of them were very bitter. But there was no band of greedy men plundering them. An able, intelligent, far-seeing organization simply outstripped men in the casual, haphazard way of doing business. That was inevitable."

Were Rockefeller's methods legitimate? Has our economy benefited from the precedent set by the Standard Oil trust? Let us know what you think by answering our online poll.

Please answer the following questions:

	In your opinion, did Rockefeller achieve a monopoly through legitimate means?
		Yes		No
	How would you characterize the legacy of Standard Oil?
		Postive		Negative
	How do you view the recent wave of mergers and their impact on our economy and society?
		Good		Bad
	Do you agree with the government's antitrust decision in the Microsoft case?
		Yes		No
	Did you watch the film, "The Rockefellers"? (Please vote "yes" if you watched at least half of the film.)
		Yes		No
	If yes, did it influence your answers?
		Yes		No

I do not wish to vote but would like to see the current results