It's not actually real. The lobbying firm behind most of the fact sheet is made up of people on the boards of different tech firms.
Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
161–170 of 595 posts
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#162Earlier quoted context omitted.
Bose’s hearing aids were recently approved by the FDA, and they’re only $850. The APM Marketplace program recently covered this development and the hearing aid monopoly. The sky isn’t going to fall. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444600/marketplace https://www.bose.com/en_us/products/headphones/earbuds/sound...
> Bose’s hearing aids were recently approved by the FDA, and they’re only $850. Only $850? That is a new use of the word only as far as I'm concerned. These things, which are in many ways similar to if not identical with bluetooth earbuds should not cost more than those - and given the fact that Apple managed to convince people that $200 is a normal price for these things that should leave more than enough margin for…
Is there an earbud costs $30 with active noise cancelation and transparency mode? I want this.
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#163Earlier quoted context omitted.
Traditionally, the cost for hearing aids runs in the thousands of dollars. Perfect is the enemy of good enough, progress takes time.
The only progress needed here is for the protection racket to be broken down, this can be done with the stroke of a pen. Allowing it to "take time" only gives those who seek to extract as much money as possible from the artificially limited market more time to do so.
I encourage you (and others) to actively engage with your Congressional representatives and regulators in this regard.
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#164Earlier quoted context omitted.
>An example of how many (most?) monopolies are able to exist because of some sort of legal authorization or protection. Regulatory capture. To be clear this "legal authorization or protection" is not necessarily over regulation. Depending on the market, sometimes monopolies are the result of too much government regulation and sometimes they are the result of not enough government regulation. For example, most of the…
> For example, most of the big tech monopolies do not exist because of regulatory capture. They exist because the government never put in enough effort to stop the monopolies from forming. Is it possible they exist because the immense economies of scale and near zero marginal cost that software provides makes for a winner take all market? As a customer, why would one use the 2nd best option, when the best option is a…
That and lack of anti-trust action (or other deterrents against large businesses) on the part of the government.
A consumer shouldn't chhose the second if they don't want to. But governments should step in to ensure that the market remains competetive.
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#165"Hearing aids cost thousands of dollars apiece, for no other reason than there is a cartel established by government that prevents firms from selling hearing aids without a prescription." An example of how many (most?) monopolies are able to exist because of some sort of legal authorization or protection. Regulatory capture. There are dozens of companies who would no doubt start making inexpensive hearing aids tomorr…
>An example of how many (most?) monopolies are able to exist because of some sort of legal authorization or protection. Regulatory capture. To be clear this "legal authorization or protection" is not necessarily over regulation. Depending on the market, sometimes monopolies are the result of too much government regulation and sometimes they are the result of not enough government regulation. For example, most of the…
Some exist because of copyright otherwise Microsoft would have been legally cloned out of business back in the day.
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
They're part of the same mafia, Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America spent $8664000 in 2021 only on lobbying. https://www.opensecrets.org/federal-lobbying/top-spenders
That looks like a big number, but it is $8.6M ? Is that a lot?
I double checked -- another source[0] mentions amounts that are a bit higher:
"The Chamber [of Commerce] spent nearly $82 million on lobbying in 2020"
But generally in line with the list posted by the GP:
"Facebook and Amazon were the only companies in the top 10 spending list and spent nearly $19.7 million and more than $18.7 million on lobbying in 2020, respectively"
I too, am surprised as how little this is for these gigantic companies ($20M for FB? 1/1000th of their quarterly revenue?) and more generally, how little money this is... in comparison with the entire US government budget?
Sorry, this is probably all obvious? Just a bit.. sad?
[0] https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/536082-us-chamber-nu...
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#167Earlier quoted context omitted.
Only for billing cost of procedures. It's still a mess. Did you know that hospitals make money by using name brand medications? They will get a contract with a brand, like Motrin, and charge you full price at $8 a pill. Then Motrin will will evaluate how much the hospital used and give them a big rebate to bring the hospital's cost down under $1 per pill. You can literally buy a bottle of ibuprofen for what they char…
I’m not sure what your point is. These contracts between seller and merchant were voluntary. There are other hospitals available should you choose, and if not then you have no one to blame but yourself.
Is this supposed to be satire or are you so disconnected from reality that you think this makes sense?
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#168It's not actually real. The lobbying firm behind most of the fact sheet is made up of people on the boards of different tech firms.
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Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
Economies of scale, when viewed from the perspective of a cattle beast in a feed lot are a horrible thing in agriculture. Modern industrial agriculture with its expensive inputs, ruination of land, and abuse of live stock is a quite horrifying thing and is impoverishing the people responsible for the base of our food supply. It is the most efficient in terms of output per input, but not by most other measures.
But you don't need to be a monopoly or even a big company to have an awful feedlots, monocrop farming, ect.
if you have 2 big companies they’re “too big to fail” and can better whether lawsuits with massive legal teams, settlement money, pr firms… if you have a thousand smaller companies you can bankrupt 100 and be ok
Re: Biden launches action on "Big Tech, Big Pharma, and Big Ag" – can it be real?
#170Earlier quoted context omitted.
>An example of how many (most?) monopolies are able to exist because of some sort of legal authorization or protection. Regulatory capture. To be clear this "legal authorization or protection" is not necessarily over regulation. Depending on the market, sometimes monopolies are the result of too much government regulation and sometimes they are the result of not enough government regulation. For example, most of the…
Big tech wouldn't have the silos or platform lock downs (ie power/user capture) they have today without the ip legal framework. People would be able to legally circumvent their bs and offer services around gaps in their platforms and would encourage more competition and result in a less monopolistic practice. I think all monopolies are violence enforced or they are competitive otherwise somebody would step in and und…
Software patents are a failure. Software shouldn't be patentable. I bet software innovation would increase, not decrease, without patents.