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by paradox242 461 days ago
Monopolies, oligopolies and cartels. These are the end-game of any capitalist system where the overriding priority is profit. I am not even going to morally fault any of the individual decisions-makers here. They are playing the game within the system that exists, not as one would like it to be. Step zero in changing this situation is helping people understand that capitalism is designed to maximize profits, not cost or supply. That this happens at all is a temporary side-effect of competition, which itself is an inefficiency when optimizing for profits. Proponents of capitalism will focus on competition as if it were some kind of natural condition that keeps everyone honest. Instead, competition leads to collusion, consolidation, and regulation (regulatory capture) to create as high a barrier as possible to enter the market.