[opendtv] Re: Collusion
- From: Craig Birkmaier <craig@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 29 May 2011 11:46:08 -0400
At 2:47 PM -0500 5/27/11, Manfredi, Albert E wrote:
I agree that people have a responsibility to show some backbone, as
opposed to consistently caving in to greed. But our history has
shown time and time again that unbridled capitalism doesn't work
either, so we have laws.
Capitalism works just fine Bert.
But power corrupts, whether it is exercised by a TRUST, which has
formed in the private sector to AVOID free market capitalism, or it
is formed through collusion with the politicians to AVOID free market
capitalism.
At virtually the same time that the politicians broke up the Oil
industry trust, they were seduced into creating the "Utility Trusts."
This happened at the behest of the BIG Electricity generation
companies, who realized that "Natural Monopolies" propped up by the
government were in the best interests of both the companies and the
politicians. The only difference with the Utility Trusts is that the
politicians receive a cut, in the form of permanent revenue streams.
Much the same is true of the Oil industry today. In this case the
government generates far more in tax revenues from the oil industry
than the companies generate in profits.
Once the politicians learned about the leverage they create through
regulating utility monopolies/oligopolies, there was no turning back.
The same principles have been applied to telephony, broadcast radio
and television, cable and to a somewhat lesser extent the Internet
(for now).
Call that, the few who do have some backbone have risen up in spite
of the preponderance of lemmings, if you like. That is the way
things happen in a free society, after all.
Perhaps some folks are just not concerned about the cost of their
entertainment fixes Bert.
Given the fact that there is virtually no competition in any utility
business, many people just consider these expenses in the same
category as taxes...inevitable.
For example, anti-trust laws, to ensure that competition is allowed
to exist. For example, laws against collusion, for the same reason.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collusion
I guess it all boils down to which types of collusion the government
decides to attack and which types they encourage and support.
Clearly, the theatrics related to subscribe fees are encouraged and supported.
Regards
Craig
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