[plastiquebeech]

Might be worth mentioning the name of the conspiracy: the Phoebus Cartel.

It sounds cartoonishly evil, but "cartel" is just an economic term for a market where a small number of participants collude to control supply and pricing. Like OPEC.

https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/the-l-e-d-quanda...

IMHO, we should be more aggressive about converting industries which gravitate towards cartels into regulated natural monopolies, like power/water supplies. Some kinds of markets really are more efficient with fewer participants, and we should find ways to encourage that efficiency without letting the lucky winners indefinitely dictate the terms of the market.

[pphysch]

In contemporary America, cartels are euphemized as "trade associations" and they dominate Washington DC (and our national consciousness) with their collective lobbying and PR resources.