Joyce PlacitoApr 12, 2024
Robert Reich

Airlines have merged from 12 major carriers in 1980 to 4 today.

A handful of companies control the pharmaceutical industry.

Four giants control 80% of meat processing.

The evidence of corporate concentration is everywhere.

And fewer competitors means higher prices for you.

Apr 12, 2024 at 5:21pmWeb
Show threadshanenApr 12, 2024

@rbreich

Progressive profits tax linked to market share. NOT punishment for success. Incentive to divide company into competing daughter companies.

More choice = more freedom.

Detect excessive market share various ways, but mostly by (1) Asking customers how many choices they had, and (2) Checking complaints from wannabe competitors who were blocked from competing.

What is wrong with the idea? Or what's your better one?

Show threadthe_wigglerApr 12, 2024
@shanen @rbreich you need more rules on ownership / stake to make this actually work. 12 companies owned / controlledby the same person / group isn't any better than 1 company.
Show threadshanenApr 13, 2024

@the_wiggler @rbreich

Yes, you are right but that's what the existing laws cover and I'm not saying those laws should be ignored.

When the daughter companies are created in a single-owner situation, the "market share" with high tax rate would span the daughter companies because of the ownership linkage. To reduce the tax rate, the single owner would have to narrow his ownership--and of course you'd have to continue watching for cheating and attempts to hide market dominance.

Show threadsnaeqeApr 12, 2024

@rbreich

Free Market does optimise for one thing:
Profits of corporations. And nothing else.

Show threadBc Clarity Carlton-MartinApr 12, 2024
@rbreich Don't trust anti-trust to fix anything
Show threadFirefly's GhostApr 12, 2024
@rbreich
The word we’re searching for is, fascism! You’re welcome.
Show threadMister Moo 🐮Apr 12, 2024
@rbreich If you have a way to get a message to the Biden campaign, tell them their one-liner needs to be: Trump wants to cut taxes on the big corporations that are raising your prices.
Show threadRichard R LeeApr 12, 2024
#CriminalProfiteering.
@rbreich
Show threadMidwest BobApr 12, 2024
@rbreich And quality goes down.
Show threadEric LawtonApr 12, 2024

@rbreich

Not just higher prices.

Worse working conditions, more environmental damage, less government income, less political power, …

@szescstopni

Show threadDondyApr 12, 2024
@rbreich that would imply they actually compete - esp. in developmentally stagnating fields this is not true
Show threadSane ThinkerApr 12, 2024
@rbreich And what do you suggest we do, Professor? Vote for Joe? Ignore climate change? Ignore the gasping planet? The issues are a bit bigger, are they not?
Show threadHugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷Apr 12, 2024
@gdeihl If Dem voters refuse to vote, that leaves Repug voters...who WILL vote. Trumpistan is the result. @rbreich
Show threadSane ThinkerApr 12, 2024
@Tooden @rbreich I certainly understand that. Pretty sad situation as climate change takes everything down. I like Robert, have for a long time, but his vision is limited.
Show threadHugs4friends ♾🇺🇦 🇵🇸😷Apr 12, 2024
@gdeihl Covid has done as much damage to critical thinking - what there was of it - as it has to world economies. The result seems to be that governments are bowing to the Fossil Fuel giants, in a bid to recoup the money lost, for a brief few months, in the 2020-21 fiscal year. It is lunacy...in the face of escalating Global Climate Catastrophe. It will not be improved in the hands of greedy, culture-smashing Conservatives. There appears to be no viable alternative😞
Show threadSane ThinkerApr 16, 2024
@Tooden Yes, it's lunacy. It's also beginning to appear to me that the "renewables" build out is destined for failure. Fossil fuels are quickly approaching the point of consuming too much energy and costing too much to get out of the ground. Without diesel, we build nothing.
Show threadJack of all tradesApr 18, 2024

@gdeihl @Tooden

Here's an idea: build floating wind turbines and connect them to oil rigs to power the equipment. Should keep the EROI higher and therefore extraction operation going for a wee bit longer.

I wish I was joking...

https://www.worldoil.com/magazine/2021/august-2021/features/electrifying-offshore-oil-and-gas-facilities-with-floating-wind-turbines

Electrifying offshore oil and gas facilities with floating wind turbines

Two senior marine construction executives provide an in-depth analysis of an innovative proposal to use electricity from floating wind turbines to power offshore oil and gas operations to reduce GHG.

Show threadSane ThinkerApr 19, 2024
@jackofalltrades @Tooden But the article says "innovative" so it must be good. These people are truly blind to reality at best.