This was to make sure trade could flow as smoothly as possible. I hope this answer helps!
BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico
At the beginning of the 19th century, most Americans had no idea what lay beyond The Mississippi River.
If your friend is a business owner in a planned economy, then it would be the "central government" that decides how to allocate the productive resources he uses, since the government "plans" the economy as opposed to having supply and demand take place in the marketplace.
