The New "Religion Vs Science" Thread

We're not primarily sellers...

When I speak truthfully I also say that it is primarily the Trumps of the world who ruin the earth, not ordinary people, you and me

Trump... Don't single out the "elite" ...

"the elites" are "ruining the planet"

Trump doesn't eat any more meat in his meals than the average American. Don't single out the "elite" for special condemnation... MB1

I would disagree and say instead that globalization in terms of a unified world is our only hope for a productive future.

This "one world" collectivist thinking is truly one of the more genuinely perverse, adolescent, and unfortunately perennial idealisms amongst western intellectuals and casual idealists for many years now. I think that it resurfaces continually because of its kumbaya shallowness restricted to those who are almost incapable of graduating to a fully formed adult thinking about such issues, much less original thought.

Okay, perhaps I missed it. Where did Marlow call out Trump as an elite?

So we need a new story

The bottom line is that many of these big companies have "market power," the ability to raise prices in spite of competition and weak economies. Instead of the competition keeping prices low companies collude to keep the prices high, even raising them. They may not have to pay the corporate taxes to the government but can charge you for them as if they had. They are allowed to charge you $35.00 for overdrafts even though it costs them less than a penny to make the adjustment. They can create their own oligopolies over municipalities, counties, states, even regions. Companies that offer enormous sums to buy the local power or water company will make it up in increased charges even if they cannot justify them. They are able to do this because they lobby and contribute to politicians who appoint industry friendly candidates to regulatory agencies, allow add-on costs, such as surcharges equipment or services that don't exist, and company threats to move out of town or the state unless they are forgiven state taxes for years or even decades.

One of the more insidious breaches of consumer rights is arbitration, once only used in contracts between companies. They are in the contracts you make when buying a car, getting a home equity loan, or the franchise you buy. It keeps you from suing. To make things worse, you must submit to arbitration on the home turf of the company or bank even if it means it's across the country before an arbitrator they have probably used many times before, and to whom you must pay a heafty percentage if he or she rules in your favor.

While these companies market themselves as restrained by regulation, they in fact make regulation work in their behalf. With government sanction and blessing, they have made the consumer pay more for every conceivable service, real or imagined. They are not interested in an unfettered free market because their prices would have to come down, and they are only interested in maintaining their "pricing," a euphemism for profit.