Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

ck4829

(35,900 posts)
Mon Sep 26, 2022, 07:30 AM Sep 2022

Corporate greed, not wages, is behind inflation. It's time for price controls

The underlying economic problem is profit-price inflation. It’s caused by corporations raising their prices above their increasing costs.

Corporations are using those increasing costs – of materials, components and labor – as excuses to increase their prices even higher, resulting in bigger profits. This is why corporate profits are close to levels not seen in over half a century.

Corporations have the power to raise prices without losing customers because they face so little competition. Since the 1980s, two-thirds of all American industries have become more concentrated.

Why are grocery prices through the roof? Because just four companies control 85% of meat and poultry processing. Just one corporation sets the price for most of the nation’s seed corn. And two giant firms dominate consumer staples.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/sep/25/inflation-price-controls-robert-reich

3 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Corporate greed, not wages, is behind inflation. It's time for price controls (Original Post) ck4829 Sep 2022 OP
Republicans support a free market right up until they can score political points. Probatim Sep 2022 #1
Ford tried the WIN button, it didn't work. Nixon tried the wage and price freeze it doc03 Sep 2022 #2
Why not do both? I_UndergroundPanther Sep 2022 #3

doc03

(36,694 posts)
2. Ford tried the WIN button, it didn't work. Nixon tried the wage and price freeze it
Mon Sep 26, 2022, 08:21 AM
Sep 2022

totally backfired causing shortages of everything. If producers can't make money on a product they don't make it.
What broke inflation was the Fed raising interest rates, that caused by far the worse recession in my lifetime. I was
out of work for 3 1/2 years along with millions of others. But it was followed by years of record growth. I think the
best thing we could do is break our dependance on oil.

Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»Occupy Underground»Corporate greed, not wage...