19 Comments
⭠ Return to thread

The thundering irony of all this is that the original and true "conservative" that I learned of in my youth believed in a thing called "free enterprise". I assumed that included a level playing field for "little guys" to open small businesses - we call them startups now.

There is a process by which super successful startups abandon that concept. Meta came out of a college dorm. Now it is hell bent on eating its competition. Microsoft was launched from a garage. Now it is about to totally dominate the huge gaming world.

It is a duty and a responsibility of our government to encourage competition. What we have now is not "free enterprise" or "healthy capitalism". It is greed and power driven oligarchies. Time to bust up some "trusts"!

And time to claw back the obscene wealth accumulated by avoiding taxes and eating the competition. Bust them and tax them fairly.

Expand full comment

Unregulated capitalism eats its children and exploits the workers and consumers.

Expand full comment

"Unregulated capitalism eats its children...." Yessir. True statement. It is like jungle-style evolution of species. It works, very cruelly at times, but it works. Especially for "the strong". We as a society can do so much better by taking a concept that works, and controlling it such that the benefits are spread among all of us instead of the top predators. Combine that with democracy and you get a society that works pretty well. Republicans are there to protect the top predators, at the expense of the rest of us. All in the name of Jesus. They reject democracy more and more as the majority rejects them more and more, and reject regulated capitalism more and more as that regulation tends to limit further enrichment. That cannot be allowed to continue, for a thousand reasons.

Expand full comment

In regards to your "They reject democracy more and more," that quote is abundantly clear in the Heritage Foundation's "Mandate for Leadership the 2025 Plan." The 2025 plan lays the groundwork for an authoritarian leader in the President's position, think Putin. If Americans think Trump can be contained, just read this booklet, https://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/project2025/2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf

It is worth cautioning that not believing that what the 2025 Plan lays out as not achievable in America remember German disbelief in Hitler's Mein Kampf plan for leadership. Hitler did exactly what he wrote in his book, therefore, believe what you read in the 2025 Plan. Trump can never return to the White House nor DeSantis who would most likely also embrace the 2025 Plan.

Expand full comment

"Trump can never return to the White House nor DeSantis who would most likely also embrace the 2025 Plan." I think now that any Republican candidate with a chance to win can be placed in that category. With that document, the Republican Party has laid down the gauntlet. This means war.

Expand full comment

Keep the faith. We have to do the work.

Expand full comment

Sad but true.

Expand full comment

It is hardly socialistic to ask the wealthy and the wealthy corporate “citizens “ to pay their fair share.

Expand full comment

Susan, you know that, and I know that, and the vast majority of readers here assembled know that, because we know the definition of socialism. Those who issue their screeching complaints about it have NO IDEA what the word means. They just assume that, because their rich friends and donors hate it, they have to hate it, too. 🙄

Expand full comment

The Right jumps to their All Purpose Response to anything that smacks of government for the people — Socialism!

Most people don’t even know what that is, or they think it is government ownership of everything — which is an old idea, not reflective of modern elements of social policy that put the well-being of our society first, which will always include a vibrant and thriving business community, but in the service of the people, not the other way around.

Business exists to participate in an economy and support society. Not the other way around.

Expand full comment

Agree, 💯%.

Expand full comment

It is indeed time to reign in big corporations. there is an interesting paper written by Senator Whitehouse of Rhode Island about corporate dark money that is worth reading. https://harvardjol.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/17/2020/05/Sen.-Whitehouse_Dark-Money.pdf

Expand full comment

Yep. I got mine. Now shut and lock that door behind me.

Expand full comment

Like NFL without rules or refs. Go Scheme!

Expand full comment

Actually, it was Apple that launched in a garage.

Expand full comment

I stand corrected. Thanks.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Jul 20, 2023Edited
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

I don't mention the "fruit" company for the reasons you so aptly describe.

While I am a huge fan of competition the proprietary madness you mention could have been eliminated by Federal Law requiring universal connectivity.

Remember how stupid the VHS vs Beta wars were? Consumers were victims as they are now.

Fortunately, the fruit people have enormous competition from Android phones. Terrific devices for a fraction of the cost.

Expand full comment

BK, I take your rant as a challenge. :) The USPTO has been dealing with this on a local level for decades without success. Jurys simply cannot deal with the issues. Bless their hearts. They simply do not understand code and math. In the mega IT area there are no standards as different countries have their own IT laws. EU is slightly different. The IP has expanded exponentially over the last 20 years and now we have AI to deal with. I stepped aside before social media after 50 years and only have a cautionary warning left. No one can see the future.

Expand full comment