It’s Time to Break Up Facebook, by Chris Hughes, the co-founder of Facebook is very thorough in describing the current monopoly behavior of Facebook, the deleterious effects on competition and vigor in the economy of monopolies, and a great introduction to the history of anti-trust movements and legislation in the US. —>> read more –>>
Corporate concentration of income and wealth are core features of capitalism. From its earliest cheerleaders like Adam Smith, the drive for corporations to get ever larger and in the doing drive their competitors out of the market was noted and warned against. John Oliver provides a thorough and amusing introduction. —>> read more –>>
The new digital economy is displaying the same drive to concentration, monopolies and oligopolies, that capitalism has always displayed. Facebook, Google, Amazon, Apple, and Microsoft are just a new face of the predatory monopolists of the Rockefeller Standard Oil age. —>> read more –>>
Capitalism, Monopoly, Oligopoly and John Oliver Capitalism does a number of things very well. Concentrating power, wealth and income is one of them. Though we naturally focus our attention on wealthy individuals, fat cats, tycoons, money bags, but corporations, the legal entities with personhood (at least in the US) are —>> read more –>>
In the US four airlines control over 80% of the seats and in many regional markets the competition veers towards a state of monopoly. There is simply no effective competitive controls on what the airlines can charge and under what conditions.This has lead to persistent high fares and a seemingly endless series of innovations in how many people can be jammed into a plane with as many extra charges tacked on for fewer and fewer amenities. —>> read more –>>
Financialization is one of the most important drivers of changes in the last 50 years in American capitalism, and consequently in our society. As noted in other posts, and recently by Bernie Sanders, almost all of the income growth in the past 50 years has ended up in the bank —>> read more –>>
American Compass is a self-described think tank for conservative economics. From its Mission Statement page: “We are developing the conservative economic agenda to supplant blind faith in free markets with a focus on workers, their families and communities, and the national interest.” There is much to admire about the analysis —>> read more –>>
A key part of the description of capitalism in orthodox (neoclassical) economics, and our political rhetoric, is the role competition between companies plays in keeping the automatic self-regulation of markets humming for the most efficient and effective production at optimal prices. Competition is also regularly touted as a great driver —>> read more –>>
Last year, at about this time, I tapped away at the list below. In recent days I returned to the question of a new Siege of Angers. I came up with little new and found that last year’s Siege of Angers remained at the top of my mind. The one —>> read more –>>
With four indictments and 91 charges of crimes committed one cannot help but be buoyed by the notion that Trump might spend his remaining years in jail. His crimes are so many and so manifestly obvious that this seems entirely just, even required. But MAGA America is not just going —>> read more –>>
I was already 31 years old when the rip-off of America began in 1979. I was busy, and the changes in American life were only occasionally to be noticed. By the mid-1980s my management life started to feature the early signs of the financialization of the corporation. I knew of —>> read more –>>
I’ve spent more than a year investigating the sources of our species’ reaction to autocrats, pandemics, global warming, and the crisis of global capitalism. Here is a draft of an introduction to the topic. Lots of evolution, anthropology, archeology, neurology, and cognitive psychology all rolled up. Now on to understanding —>> read more –>>
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