• Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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      8 months ago

      Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable.

      -Milton Friedman

  • Billiam@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Of course they did. We know they did. All you have to do is go back and read their quarterly earnings calls from 2020 to basically now and they told their shareholders clearly that they were using the pandemic as an excuse to increase profits.

  • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    … you can’t seriously build a system that is meant to take advantage of every situation, praise if for taking advantage of every situation, align it’s interests in taking advantage of every situation and then be surprised it took advantage of a situation. We should be better than Pikachu.

    • girlfreddy@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      It’s the unfettered capitalism Reagan delivered to his cronies, which ofc trickled down to the whole fucking world.

  • Landless2029@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Everyone keeps saying this is capitalism and its true. Companies squeezing everyone when they’re vulnerable for more profits.

    Consumers need protections for things like basic needs so we don’t struggle just to survive.

    Food and housing should be protected. Luxury brands can get all the profit they want.

    Don’t touch my fucking groceries and rent!

    • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee
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      8 months ago

      Are you saying human quality of life is more important than (strictly financial) profits?? I’m thought that is blasphemy and that I must shame you for it. How dare.

    • psud@aussie.zone
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      8 months ago

      This is why giant supermarkets are bad. When you have a choice of several places to buy, they compete.

      Rent though has been captured by optimisation software. Your rent goes up because a computer predicted you (or someone else) would pay more.

  • Magnus@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    8 months ago

    Is this even news, ofc they did, give them an inch and they always take a mile, war, recessions and sickness are always a profiteering venture for business.

    • ArcaneGadget@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      Don’t think of your death as failure; think of it as fun! Don’t think of Wal-Mart’s price hikes as war profiteering, think of them as war… fun!

      • minibyte@sh.itjust.works
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        8 months ago

        Death is the only thing we’re promised from life and without it, life would have little meaning. Death is simply a contract fulfillment.

  • Suavevillain@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    Nothing happens to Corporations around here. It was pretty clear it was greed even before the data hit.

  • taanegl@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    See, it’s very simple. You create a massive monopoly/duopoly/triopoly, to undercut, out compete and otherwise dominate small businesses, until they’ve been fazed out… then once it’s only you, and you decide the pricing, then you start screwing around with prices while politicians twiddle their thumbs.

    • LostWon@lemmy.ca
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      8 months ago

      edit: actually I thought you were replying to the folks who were talking about inflation, but now I’m not sure what you’re replying to, so maybe disregard the rest of this comment

      Inflation dropping just refers to the rate at which prices increase slowing down, not prices themselves going down. Unless regional and federal governments do something, lowered inflation only means relative stability at current price levels.

  • Etterra@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    I love all the headlines that declare [report about thing you already figured out years ago] was in fact true, like it’s a fucking surprise. Some would say it’s good to have corroborating data, but it never seems to help and I’m just exhausted being right so dammed often.

  • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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    8 months ago

    It’s fair, though. They raised the salaries of the people who worked there.

    Right?