This is a story about how farmers became a crop. And it's instructive because the trend has continued. Farmers are famously individually powerless in the marketplace, being close to an example of 'perfect' competition. Historically they've banded together or been backed by the government since food is essential and agricultural markets are inherently unstable without some structural support.
And farming is essential unlike whatever it is, let's say, that hedge funds do. Enter Republicans, who hate 'the little guy.' With typical arrogance and self-serving political motivations agriculture secretary Earl Butz reinvented modern farming under Richard Nixon. An 'oil shock' had threatened to send food prices up which Nixon didn't want for political reasons. Butz argued for agricultural consolidation.
'Get big of get out' was his motto. He believed in big farms. Farmers weren't relevant in the equation. Electoral prospects were. And transferring profits up to the corporate level which Republicans akways do. Consumers are another, parallel, case, individually powerless but with massive influence in the aggregate. The competition for their allegiance, their purchasing power, is normally intense.
But not when all choice is removed in a system that favors consolidation. Another arrogant Republican, Robert Bork, actually FOR monopolies, writing a book on it. Cheaper shit for everyone! But the point wasn't cheaper shit it was disempowering consumers and higher profits. Businesses hate competition. Any rational business wants to print money. So they invest in influence. They kill competition.
If influence is available for sale they're buying. Under Republicans everything is for sale. Now consider Haley Barbour, who invented modern lobbying--the market for influence--as much as anyone. Consumers have lost their power and become a crop, milked for profits like cattle until they die. Fertilized and harvested like crops, powerless over their destiny, servants of corporations and slaves of capitalists.
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