Funny, things were substantially different here in the US back around 1999-2004. Cost of living was substantially lower and consumer pricing was actually better

Funny, things were substantially different here in the US back around 1999-2004. Cost of living was substantially lower and consumer pricing was actually better in the US than elsewhere. Fast-forward to today and we're all being gouged by the telecoms, food prices, tuition bills, health insurance, real estate prices... well you get the idea. What's the big difference between then and now? Many, many mega-mergers. For example, back in 1999 there were 17 major airlines. Today there are four. The government plays a big role in this, as do the major corporations since they draft their own legislation and have their bought and paid for politicians sponsor the bills. I've heard the situation summed up as: in Europe, the governments work for the people. In the US, the government works for the big corps and that means, it's not working for the people.