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Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

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Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

ScoobyDoo said:
Uh, huh. While everyone watches record profits and CEO salaries and depressed middle class labor wages. Whatever, dude.
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The pure dollar value of the profits are high for oil, but the profit percentages in the oil business are not. The profit as a percentage of revenue is only in the single digits, a low figure when compared to a great many other industries.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

St. Clown said:
The pure dollar value of the profits are high for oil, but the profit percentages in the oil business are not. The profit as a percentage of revenue is only in the single digits, a low figure when compared to a great many other industries.
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Uh, huh. I feel bad for them. Especially since the Middle Class has had depressed wages since the '70's.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

I'm not worried about the Middle East. They can solve their own issues.

Besides that, American oil companies use very little Middle East oil. Last I read, and this was a few years ago, the US gets about 8% of its oil from the Middle East.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

ScoobyDoo said:
Uh, huh. I feel bad for them. Especially since the Middle Class has had depressed wages since the '70's.
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You mean, ever since we got off the gold standard and the Federal Reserve insisted on 2%-per-year inflation just to get people to part with their money faster?

Want to make more in wages? Sell your value. There's no such thing as a free lunch.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

St. Clown said:
I'm not worried about the Middle East. They can solve their own issues.

Besides that, American oil companies use very little Middle East oil. Last I read, and this was a few years ago, the US gets about 8% of its oil from the Middle East.
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The top hat has a better price. As does Chavez.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

dxmnkd316 said:
Sounds like Charter wants to buy TWC. How about no?
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It sort of makes sense that Charter would make this move now. TWC has dealt a serious blow when that satellite provider (I forget which) dropped them in favor of Accuweather. That had to hurt the value of the company. If Charter can purchase TWC, they can provide that content to their customers without worry of losing the contract, keeping the price fairly low so that it won't scare away said customers, and still sell the channel to its competition. While I've not watched the channel for many years, and I just dropped cable TV this past weekend because paying $1000/year for service just seems foolish to me, this all makes a lot of sense to me.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

St. Clown said:
It sort of makes sense that Charter would make this move now. TWC has dealt a serious blow when that satellite provider (I forget which) dropped them in favor of Accuweather. That had to hurt the value of the company. If Charter can purchase TWC, they can provide that content to their customers without worry of losing the contract, keeping the price fairly low so that it won't scare away said customers, and still sell the channel to its competition. While I've not watched the channel for many years, and I just dropped cable TV this past weekend because paying $1000/year for service just seems foolish to me, this all makes a lot of sense to me.
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derrr..... Sorry, Time Warner Cable
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

I still don't get why there's this big for sale sign on the front doors of TWC. Why do they have to be sold? (This might be a stupid question.)

Frankly, I think these companies are too big as they are. Time to get all Ma Bell smashy smashy on them.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

CharterCast

Guarantee you it's coming within the next decade. And their combined customer service will be even worse! *diabolical laughter* :D
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

dxmnkd316 said:
Frankly, I think these companies are too big as they are. Time to get all Ma Bell smashy smashy on them.
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No better way to make prices skyrocket. Completely different world now in terms of the needed tech, maintenance, and construction compared to telephone. Wouldn't even be able to negotiate for programming costs without broadcast groups wanting far more than they want now.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Foxton said:
No better way to make prices skyrocket. Completely different world now in terms of the needed tech, maintenance, and construction compared to telephone. Wouldn't even be able to negotiate for programming costs without broadcast groups wanting far more than they want now.
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Doubtful. Vertical monopolies deliver some cost savings from economy of scale, but the cost (in both money and quality) to the consumer of the restriction of competition destroys that value. Break them up.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Kepler said:
Doubtful. Vertical monopolies deliver some cost savings from economy of scale, but the cost (in both money and quality) to the consumer of the restriction of competition destroys that value. Break them up.
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Breaking them up will do nothing to encourage bringing multiple companies into the same area, which brings with it its own host of difficulties. If you think that legit local competition will happen or that'll actually bring down costs when you have a half dozen or more smaller companies with far less capital to invest, you're old pio nuts and have no clue how these systems work.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

I think foxton makes a fair point. But when I say break them up, I mean separate them in terms of content producers and content deliverers.

I don't like that comcast owns NBC and Universal among others. They shouldn't own studios and the cables that deliver it to our television. They just shouldn't.

Then again, we all survived Ma Bell breaking up. I think it's time to give companies like Google and municipalities incentives to come into new areas.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

Also, to your point that competition doesn't help, when Google started rolling out Google fiber, overnight comcast cut prices and increased bandwidth to their customers.
 
Re: Frayed Ends: Business, Economics, and Tax Policy 3.0

dxmnkd316 said:
I think foxton makes a fair point. But when I say break them up, I mean separate them in terms of content producers and content deliverers.

I don't like that comcast owns NBC and Universal among others. They shouldn't own studios and the cables that deliver it to our television. They just shouldn't.

Then again, we all survived Ma Bell breaking up. I think it's time to give companies like Google and municipalities incentives to come into new areas.
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Ma Bell may have broken up, but they've since reunited under the name "Verizon". ;)
 
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