As it stands, only an entity as large and powerful as the government is capable of busting up said combines, cartels, and monopolies.

My question is this: if officials at all levels of government are working in collusion with big-business, e.g. former finance executives making key decisions about fiscal policy and spending, who does the actual breaking? Those people will never be voted out, as those positions are usually filled by appointments. The irony is the government, as it stands, is the only entity capable of enforcing the "fair-play" necessary for a free market to function. Yet, if I recall, the government is the bane of free markets in the first place.