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Are you suggesting that the executives should face prison or fines? I don't think it's fair to blame them for taking advantage of market conditions; that's just

by bogwog 6y ago

Are you suggesting that the executives should face prison or fines? I don't think it's fair to blame them for taking advantage of market conditions; that's just capitalism. If anyone should be blamed, it's the people who were supposed to regulate these companies to stop them from getting to this point, especially since their evil practices have been known for a very long time. The world has missed out on 10 years of potential competition and innovation because of that.

SolarNet 6y ago
> that's just capitalism. Sure, it's a consequence of (unrestrained) capitalism, but it's not a requirement for capitalism. One can send people to jail for financial crimes, like monopolies, and still have capitalism. > it's the people who were supposed to regulate these companies to stop them from getting to this point Well that would be the politicians (and their weakening of regulation). Which is kind of out of the scope of "ideally X", because any such change would by necessity require changing politicians. Also they are, in a (poor) way, being regulated by this suit. Being caught for a crime and regulation are sorta two different things though. Sort of like health care, regulation is preventative, often healthier and cheaper in the long run. Prosecution is emergency care, an expensive last resort. > The world has missed out on 10 years of potential competition and innovation because of that. Or, you know, the actions google took to exploit the capitalist system. If anything this is just a demonstration of the need for more socialist economic solutions.
pmoriarty 6y ago
If the accusations have merit, then they didn't just "take advantage of market conditions" but actually broke the law to their own benefit and to the detriment of consumers. So they should face the consequences. I just don't think the consequences fit the crime. It's just a slap on the wrist, and these people will just continue screwing the rest of us over because there are no personal consequences for them. Any fines that Google and Facebook pay will just be extracted from the consumer. Breaking up the companies won't actually keep them from doing the same in the future, nor will it actually penalize anyone who was involved. So, yeah, I do think jail time and asset forfeiture from those responsible (if they are guilty) is fair and just.
conception 6y ago
Of course you can because those executives are influencing politics with their money so they can starve the regulators and/or capture them to prevent things from getting to this point.

by bogwog 6y ago

SolarNet 6y ago

> that's just capitalism. Sure, it's a consequence of (unrestrained) capitalism, but it's not a requirement for capitalism. One can send people to jail for financial crimes, like monopolies, and still have capitalism. > it's the people who were supposed to regulate these companies to stop them from getting to this point Well that would be the politicians (and their weakening of regulation). Which is kind of out of the scope of "ideally X", because any such change would by necessity require changing politicians. Also they are, in a (poor) way, being regulated by this suit. Being caught for a crime and regulation are sorta two different things though. Sort of like health care, regulation is preventative, often healthier and cheaper in the long run. Prosecution is emergency care, an expensive last resort. > The world has missed out on 10 years of potential competition and innovation because of that. Or, you know, the actions google took to exploit the capitalist system. If anything this is just a demonstration of the need for more socialist economic solutions.

pmoriarty 6y ago

If the accusations have merit, then they didn't just "take advantage of market conditions" but actually broke the law to their own benefit and to the detriment of consumers. So they should face the consequences. I just don't think the consequences fit the crime. It's just a slap on the wrist, and these people will just continue screwing the rest of us over because there are no personal consequences for them. Any fines that Google and Facebook pay will just be extracted from the consumer. Breaking up the companies won't actually keep them from doing the same in the future, nor will it actually penalize anyone who was involved. So, yeah, I do think jail time and asset forfeiture from those responsible (if they are guilty) is fair and just.

conception 6y ago

Of course you can because those executives are influencing politics with their money so they can starve the regulators and/or capture them to prevent things from getting to this point.