Monopolies Suck!

Let’s face it, like the title implies, they do! Where there’s little to no competition, whoever has the market to themselves gets to dictate terms. Furthermore, it’s amazing how the left approves of monopolies when they’re the only game in town:

•  Academia. What can I say? If your kids (or grandkids) are coming home from high school or college spouting nonsensical things, thank a teacher/professor. That’s about all they’re good for nowadays. There used to be a time when we sent our kids to school to learn things, not get their heads filled with useless junk. Being taught how to think for oneself was of paramount importance. It ensured that modern society remained populated with reasonable, rational individuals who knew how to think problems through. That’s not the case anymore. Our kids are now being taught what to think and why opposing points of view aren’t just wrong, but that they’re downright evil, and so are those who hold them. One can now become threatened by a point of view that is egregious enough to warrant physical violence against its wielder (a micro-aggression). Entire college campuses have erupted into rage filled riots (courtesy of angry mobs) at the very thought of an individual coming to speak to students who doesn’t share the mob’s world view. Professors who dare speak out, even if it’s nothing more than to urge caution, are intimidated into silence, either by the mob or by sycophantic administrators who are incapable or unwilling to rein things in. 

• Hollywood. I’m starting to wonder if this is some sort of payback for the red scare of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Joseph McCarthy is partly to blame, but mostly it’s because of Venona, a little known, highly classified program during the same timeframe that exposed the true influence the Soviets and their foils in the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA) had on various facets of American life and industries (including Hollywood). Ironically, the individual responsible for its declassification, was the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a giant in liberal circles. Anyhow, back to modern day Hollywood. If you’re a conservative and you’re just starting out in the industry, I have only one thing to tell you: good luck. The vehemence that the establishment has for anyone who is a conservative, or has an R after their name, is the stuff of legend. But then again, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention to this sort of thing. These folks are so caught up in themselves that they’re making movies they would like to make, or making movies that they think you should see. They’ve forgotten that making movies you’ll actually want to go see, is what makes them, and the studios that employ them, money. Quentin Tarantino is someone who gets it. He may be a dyed in the wool Hollywood liberal, but have you ever watched any of his movies and thought that they sucked? Not likely.

• Our major cities. These have been slow moving train-wrecks for some time now. The politicos in charge of these metropolises have held sway over their fiefdoms, not just for decades, but for multiple generations. They have become inextricably tied to the system. So, if there is a complaint over systemic bias, we need to look no further than those in charge of the system. They are the problem. In my home city of Chicago, there hasn’t been a non-Democrat mayor since 1933. The number of shootings that occur on the south and west sides of the city make national headlines on a routine basis, yet nothing seems to get done. Neighborhood schools aren’t just crumbling, they’re also failing our children. Unless you’re capable of getting a slot at one of the elite competitive public high schools throughout the city, you’re going to be stuck attending a sub-par neighborhood school.

This is a real mess. It never had to be this way though. All of the promises that were made in the runup to the war on poverty have fallen flat on their faces. Literacy rates, out of wedlock births, home and business ownership, and crime rates were at similar levels in the black community as they were elsewhere (if not in better shape) despite real “in your face” racism running rampant back then. Communities of color were told that if they only gave these politicians in urban areas (a lot of whom looked just like them) the power to effect change, then everything would work out. That power to change actually meant perpetual political power. And of course, these folks were all Democrats. Republicans basically ceded these cities to the Democrats, falsely believing that they wouldn’t be able to make inroads with the populace there. Those who were brave enough to try, were ridden out of town on the proverbial rail, and that was the end of that. Imagine if Dr. King and his contemporaries had taken such a weak and ineffective stance on things. What would have been the outcome of their efforts? In these cities we do know what happened. One party rule meant that these people never had the privilege of being able to select from more than one political viewpoint and regrettably succumbed to inevitable outcomes as a result. Local politicians were playing to a captive audience. They knew it and played it for all it was worth. That, my friends, is what monopolistic behavior looks like.

I’ve stated in previous postings, that if our children are our future, then we need to start treating them as such. This begins and ends with their education. But we continue to deal with underperforming schools. We’re told that if only there was more money to alleviate the problem, then things would get better. How’d that turn out for the St Louis City school system? They spent more money per pupil than their wealthier suburban counterparts and were still were decertified by the State of Missouri during the first decade of this century. The Chicago Public School System (CPS) receives somwehere between one and a third to one and a half times more money per pupil than any other school system from the State government, but it’s still a mess. We’re coming to find out that a lot of that money isn’t spent on teachers, but administrators (it’s not just Chicago). They’ve grown the beast to such a size that all they can manage to do is continue feeding it. Of course, the teachers’ unions play an important role in what’s happening. They are the main force opposing school choice for those in underserved neighborhoods with failing schools. They are major contributors to Democrat political coffers. Their political power is more important than the well being and education of those in their membership’s charge. It may be time for membership to get new representation. Oh wait, they can’t!

The cops are under siege. Turn on the news and watch what’s been happening in our cities across the nation. George Floyd’s killing may have spurred a lot of what’s been happening with these peaceful protests, but the calls to either defund or abolish the police are growing amongst the more radical elements of the Democrat party. They and their friends on the left coast (Hollywood), have been the ones egging on attacks and the harassment of officers overseeing these protests and keeping everyone in attendance safe, or enforcing curfew orders enacted by political leadership. Speaking of political leadership, they’re the ones in charge of these urban police departments. All major policy related decisions concerning the police emanate from city hall, not police headquarters. Officer Chauvin had enough infractions and complaints against him prior to Mr. Floyd’s killing, that he should have either been remanded to desk duty or removed from the force. But that never happened. Rather than own up to the fact that the police forces under their control are in fact extensions of their rule, these calculating, spineless pols have thrown them under the bus. After all, who’s going to come up with a politically contrarian view to the one city leadership is putting out? If you’re a local resident or business owner who’s been looted or burned out, you feel you have no voice or way to redress what has happened to you. That’s what one can expect from a monopoly.

Doctor Wokenstein, meet monster. Be it tearing down statues or trying to break into CNN headquarters, I’m not surprised that the angry mob is behaving the way it is. This is what years of indoctrination does to malleable young minds who don’t have clue one about this country, its history, traditions, or systems of government. They’ve been fed a steady diet of how American society has become so corrupted and evil that it needs to be completely torn down to make way for something newer and better. The folks stuffing their heads with all of this nonsense, of course, are none other than academia, aided and abetted by the legacy media. Again, who’s in charge of these institutions and has been for the past half century? Democrats, that’s who. So, is it any wonder things have turned into such a s#!t show when the folks running things have only one point of view?

The Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice exists to ensure that monopolies are dealt with in such a manner that they do not pose a threat to the markets they exist in, the customer base they purport to serve, and the economy in general. No such strictures are put on political parties, ideologies, or speech. They are protected under the First Amendment of the Constitution. Problem is, that some of these groups would just as soon strip anyone who disagrees with them of their first amendment rights. After all, if they’re in charge, anything goes. As with most forms of monopolistic behavior, they get to decide the terms of the arrangement and there isn’t a blessed thing the rest of us can do. Yup, monopolies really do suck!