If T.J. Rogers was dead, he'd be spinning in his grave right now.
If you want something done efficiently, you want it run by people who are
damn well hungry for money, not by appointed councils.
In most economic systems I would agree with you. I do heartily believe in
supply and demand. However, I believe that rationing and hoarding cause
exceptions to this law of economics. My capitalism knows few bounds, but
when it comes to IP numbers, the only way I want money to be directly tied
to them is if I'm the one with the control ;).
I very much like Vixie's idea of a committee to allow or disallow
appropriation of IP numbers. I do not like the idea of selling the numbers
to people. MIDnet and other ISPs should earn their IP blocks by describing
what they intend to do with them, and how they intend to implement them
efficiently. This should not be a money issue, as the supply is (relatively)
small, and the ownership starts upon assignment.