Here @pluralistic sums up some of why allowing monopolies (because economists from the Chicago School said monopolies were efficient) to exist is bad and preventable, if the political will to stop them grows.

https://youtube.com/shorts/lzdpS4s4xuI

#economics #monopolies

"Out of the financial crisis came the anti-monopoly movement, the network of people who think that concentrated economic power is coercive and dangerous. That movement is based on the view that every human is touched by God and meant to be free, but also that too much power is inherently corrupting. They largely center themselves within business, focusing on the importance of fair competition as both a check and a spur for the ambitions of citizens. It is the most powerful anti-oligarchical ideology in America today. And we can see it reflected in the voices not just of people organizing the anti-monopoly movement, but writers at Barstool, Michael Jordan, municipal officials suing fire truck makers, and and endless number of viral videos describing to Americans how their society really works.

So that’s my case for optimism. America is starting to regain its common sense, the public is finally seeing oligarchy for what it is, and the culture war itself has started to ebb. Politicians can no longer ignore that voters are saying that they care about prices and affordability, with the subtext that it’s really expensive for a kid to play hockey because some guy with five yachts wants another one. If that’s the theme when voters head into the voting booth, well that’s how countries start changing."

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/the-case-for-optimism-in-the-next

#USA #Monopolies #Oligopolies #Corruption #Antitrust #Competition

"Then, back lit, filling the saloon doors, amid swirling dust, staring down the debauch...comes Lina Khan."

https://3m.fyi/posts/the-redemption-of-lawyers/

#LinaKhan #CoryDoctorrow #Monopolies #lawyers #PowellMemo #PowellMemorandum #Bork #Nixon #Reagan #AntiTrust #Oligarchs #Oligarchy #Plutocrats #Plutocracy #Trump #Law #BreakEmUp #Litigate #democracy #FTC #Mamdani #Zoran #NYC

"Utilities aren’t just passive actors responding to market signals; in most cases, they are corporations, seeking to maximize value and increase profits. And there’s a quietly growing body of evidence showing that for years electric and gas utilities have been taking in more profits than they need to cover their costs and keep investors happy, at great consequence to Americans. This means, among other things, that it’s far from certain that sending money to the sector will address the crisis in energy prices, or meaningfully update the grid. Instead, utilities and their investors will continue to benefit tremendously, thanks to a regulatory system that allows them to extract enormous profits from everyday people.

I’ve spent the past year speaking to people in the utility industry, attending its conferences, and sounding out its critics. What I’ve found is that beneath the sector’s undeniable need for new and upgraded infrastructure lies a deeper problem concerning how the industry makes its money. When utilities earn substantial profits, one might expect customers to see some relief in their monthly bills. But as a result of the ownership model of the utilities that serve most Americans, this is rarely what happens. Rather, utilities earn substantial profits because regulators allow them to require ordinary people to pay more. Far from responding to an affordability crisis, electric utilities are helping to create it."

https://harpers.org/archive/2026/01/power-brokers-nick-bowlin-utility-bills/

#USA #Electricity #Utilities #Monopolies

Pluralistic: Break up bad companies; replace bad union bosses (15 Dec 2025)

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://pluralistic.net/2025/12/15/class-war-labor-peace/