Is American society too competitive?

Competitiveness can be a huge piece of a person’s makeup, and it can sometimes influence a person negatively. However, when I hear competition, I think of it in the terms of a free market. Competition on a large scale is a great thing for the consumers in a nation. The ability to create your own business and have a chance to compete with large chains and other big companies is something that makes this country great.
Competition between businesses is something you don’t have to look hard to find. Recently, I have been observing the prices of pizza between some popular brands and how they are affected by the smaller players. Up until several months ago, Domino’s, Papa Johns, and Pizza Hut all had the price of a large 1 topping pizza for at least $10. Then, Little Caesar’s came on the scene. They offered a large ready-to-go 1 topping pizza for $5. My local Little Caesar’s was packed every night with people buying pizzas by the boatload. Papa Johns and Pizza Hut did not suffer due to their high customer satisfaction. Domino’s however, which had always been the third most successful pizza chain in the area, immediately took a hit. This forced them to lower their prices dramatically; first to $6.99, then to $5.99, then finally to $5. Their sales seemed to recover substantially. Little Caesars, surprised by their success, got a little cocky and raised the price of their pizza to $6. They quickly regretted their decision as the demand for their pizza quickly fell. Papa Johns and Pizza Hut continued to be stable, and Domino’s regained in popularity, but Little Caesars was forced to drop their price back to $5. So now, because of competition, instead of having 3 pizza options for $10 each, I now have 2 for $5 and 2 for $10. The consumer always wins when people compete for their business.
A lack of competition is usually generated by the government, and it also usually hurts the consumer. Take my pizza situation for an example. Put the government in control of the market for pizza. If any competition like Little Caesars would arise, the government would create legislation against the company so there would be no opportunity for competition. This is a bad thing because then there is no incentive for the government to lower prices on any of their goods. Thus the customer loses and there is nothing they can do about it.
However, there are casualties of a free market. Because it is a free market, there is a possibility of failure. Companies can go out of business at any point in time if they can’t compete or run out of money. But this country was founded on the American dream, which gives you the freedom to succeed (or fail) at whatever you want to do. Although business can be cutthroat, it is worth the risk for the vast number of American and foreign consumers.
It is important to have competition in a democratic society like America because of the importance of a free market. The risk of loss of income and possibility of failure are just things that have to be accepted as a piece of a free society and country.