The concept that there is a finite amount of education in a given environment, so that there is a benefit to depriving others of a qualityeducation in order to increase the benefits to themselves.
The reason why there is little to no effort to improve failing public school systems is because those in power believe in Educational Mercantilism, and having the best education for their child means that education needs to be better than those of others.
A sexual position with two men and a woman. One man is fucking the woman while being fucked in the ass. Named after a popular GLBT bar in Sacramento called the Mercantile Saloon (known for pouring heavily and not charging much) where the idea was conceptualized.
Treighton is the middle in a mercantile pretzel with his girlfriend and the random guy from the gay bar.