to catch a train.

http://nymag.com/intelligencer...LdPl0pMomvzHrPuuQDJA

I want to see her challenge the Obese-in-Chief to a foot race.

That reminds me. We need a thread on her latest nonsense ‘big tech’ proposal.

These points make sense to me: https://www.nationalreview.com...ech-hurts-consumers/

I want to post my thoughts when I have time, I agree the NRO piece has some good points. There are a couple of other points that I think it only touches in passing which I think bear some exposition.

Love it.

Breaking up Amazon is almost as stupid as her wealth tax.

Jf

quote:

Originally posted by Jack Frost:
Breaking up Amazon is almost as stupid as her wealth tax.

Jf

Really? I wonder if she cited the Sherman Antitrust Act.

I'm not familiar with her wealth tax.

Alas, Liz Warren. Some of her proposals are fantastic.

And others are terrifying.

I want to fill out a form at her campaign website asking her to drop out, but I don't want to be rude. In other news, Theresa May offered to step down today. So, there's hope.

Regarding the big tech proposal, it seems to me to have the character of a bill of attainder, just disguised as legislation.


It really does seem that she just named some companies to go after. In response to a question she later added Apple to the list. Though the proposal doesn't mention them, it mentions only Google, FB, and Amazon.

I think we all get frustrated with these big companies now and then, but shouldn't anti-trust legislation be based on some sort of principle, other than 'fvck these guys!'?

Sure, she tries to present the proposal as a general rule - if a company over $25B operates a marketplace it can't also participate in it.

1st observation - Why? Does that necessarily harm consumers? Does it even harm consumer choice? Why not be more specific based on consumer harm?

2nd observation - (and this is where we get to her proposal being more like a bill of attainder) Has anyone on TeamWarren figured out that her general rule will sweep up Walmart too? And even *Kroger*? And probably a handful of other retailers. Like Amazon, they all have their house brands competing with others in their 'marketplace'.

Oh, you might object, this is just for 'tech companies'. Well, Walmart and Amazon both spend a gazillion on retail technology platforms. Sure we mentally think of Walmart as a store that also has a website, but really that's a pretty arbitrary and path dependent distinction that means less and less every day.


Oh and speaking of grocery stores, she specifically wants to undo the Amazon purchase of Whole Foods.

WTF is this based on? I mean, besides animus toward the company and maybe the founder?

Grocery is one of the most fragmented industries there is. There's no serious worry for lack of competition. And Whole Foods is grocery's luxury brand. This isn't where Joe Citizen gets his bread and milk.


It just doesn't seem to follow any plan.



This woman has the soul of an autocrat.

Here's her description, btw.

https://medium.com/@teamwarren...ig-tech-9ad9e0da324c


Note too that one of her explicit goals is to help less efficient providers. Not consumers. Sellers.

quote:

Originally posted by jon-nyc:

... In response to a question she later added Apple to the list. Though the proposal doesn't mention them, it mentions only Google, FB, and Amazon.

Apple Inc. may look big, but is actually not dominant in any particular sector.
With smart phone HW, Samsung is bigger.
With smart phone SW, Google/Android is bigger.
With personal computer HW, Dell is bigger.
With personal computer SW, Microsoft is bigger.
Apple Inc. is only "biggest" in may be a couple of areas: High-end tablets and the distribution of pre-recorded music.

Sure, Apple Inc. like to keep its systems/platforms closed. Looking at it objectively, I don't have that much anti-trust concern with Apple Inc. I think Warren was initially correct to not list Apple Inc. along with Google, Facebook, and Amazon in this context.

It just further demonstrates how arbitrary it is. Like I said, bills of attainder masquerading as antitrust policy.

She’s kind of scary on some things, isn’t she.

Let's get back to the important stuff. That's a pretty good dash for a 70+ person, and she was barely winded when the press caught up with her.