They could be right, as long as the marketplace isn't ruined by a diverse bunch of misfits ranging from the merely unethical to the out-and-out fraudsters.
So let's end the year with a snarl. This column is suffering from an excess of bile, brought on by consuming too much spam.
At first it seemed harmless. Even the offer of a hundredweight of Viagra for just $37.99 caused only mild feelings of nausea.
But what really gets the bile flowing, the eyes popping, and the blood pressure bursting all safety valves is the daily flow of pseudo-messages from internet banks requesting my account details in order to update their records.
Apparently, enough ninnies fall for this scam to make it worthwhile.
True, the crooks behind the racket dress up their e-mails with authentic-looking logos. But isn't it a bit of a giveaway when you get three messages together - one from the Halifax, one from Barclays, and one from Lloyds TSB? Especially as the next day there'll be three more, of which two will be from American banks of which you've only vaguely heard.
They get the language wrong, too. As in: 'Our new security system will help you avoid frequently fraud transactions (sic) and keep your investments in safety. Due to technical update (sic) we ask you to confirm your online banking membership details.'
No British bank talks to its customers like that. 'Worm. Your current account was overdrawn by 拢3.50 for two hours on 31 October,' is more typical.
But back to the spammers who are undermining a DM medium of huge potential.
There are solutions. When next some little oik gets hauled into court for devising a virus that led to millions of computers crashing, he should be offered a choice: he can go to jail for life, where his body will be fought over by Neanderthal apemen. Or he can do a spot of community service.
It shouldn't be too difficult for someone with such talents to devise a programme to intercept all spam messages and bounce them back, jamming the computers where they originated.
This ought to suffice until scientists can perfect my other idea -The Silver Bullet. Basically, any computer guilty of cooking up spam will be targeted with a beam of electrons. These will go down the wire, first fusing the motherboard to the hard disk and then zapping the screen and all guilty-looking individuals within range.