How much did you pay for gas and groceries today?

[Pokebball]

3 minutes ago, daz28 said:

I don't know if a union has or can try to control that.  I did a quick google, and this is what I found:  

 

We find evidence that labor unions affect chief executive officer (CEO) compensation. First, we find that firms with strong unions pay their CEOs less. The negative effect is robust to various tests for endogeneity, including cross-sectional variations and a regression discontinuity design. Second, we find that CEO compensation is curbed before union contract negotiations, especially when the compensation is discretionary and the unions have a strong bargaining position. Third, we report that curbing CEO compensation mitigates the chance of a labor strike, thus providing a rationale for firms to pay CEOs less when facing strong unions.

It would make sense that a more robust union effort, driving up wages for the workers would have to come from cost cutting/shifting, more than likely coming from the C Suite. I'm not opposed to non government dynamics impacting upper level salaries. I am totally against any government controls or interventions in this dynamic.

[daz28]

4 minutes ago, Pokebball said:

It would make sense that a more robust union effort, driving up wages for the workers would have to come from cost cutting/shifting, more than likely coming from the C Suite. I'm not opposed to non government dynamics impacting upper level salaries. I am totally against any government controls or interventions in this dynamic.

The only problem is if they continue to give ridiculous salaries to top management and huge dividends to shareholders, the simps will claim it was the workers earning a living wage that crippled the company.  

[Pokebball]

29 minutes ago, daz28 said:

The only problem is if they continue to give ridiculous salaries to top management and huge dividends to shareholders, the simps will claim it was the workers earning a living wage that crippled the company.  

Ahh, if a company folds a company folds. Many reasons could cause that and blame is cheap. I think technology is the primary reason companies fail. Dividends are cut early when a company starts doing poorly. C Suite is very important in a company's success or failure.

[B-Man]

 

 

                                            

 

 

 

 

.

[reddogblitz]

On 3/18/2024 at 3:44 PM, Pokebball said:

Ahh, if a company folds a company folds. Many reasons could cause that and blame is cheap. I think technology is the primary reason companies fail. Dividends are cut early when a company starts doing poorly. C Suite is very important in a company's success or failure.

 

How so?  I'm not disagreeing with you necessarily but would like to hear why you think this.

[Pokebball]

1 hour ago, reddogblitz said:

 

How so?  I'm not disagreeing with you necessarily but would like to hear why you think this.

Dividends are cut after the company begins to do poorly. Many reasons why a company begins doing poorly. Businesses with continual improvement, learning how to do things faster, cheaper and more efficiently survive. Technology, probably more than anything else does that.

Edited March 23 by Pokebball

[reddogblitz]

$4.39 a gallon in Seattle.  Of course we're paying an extra .49 per cuz were saving the planet with carbon offsets.

[BillStime]

 

[Big Blitz]

1 minute ago, BillStime said:

 

 

Good Lord man.  Good Lord.  
 

 

Do you need an Econ lesson?  Sure you do.  Let me explain.  
 

 

As income shrinks and prices rise - demand for inferior goods increases.  The inferior good being Great Value.  
 

As demand increases for said inferior good, prices will rise.  
 

The prices of Great Value have to rise in relation to demand.  
 

This is called the forces in the market trying to find equilibrium.  
 

Or, in low info Commie land, price gouging.  “Its the corporations fault!!!”

 

 

No you dolt.  It’s so bad, demand for inferior goods across the board is skyrocketing and prices for those goods are responding or we’d have what we call in Economics a shortage. 

At least we slowed the spread tho!!!  

 

 

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk. 

[BillStime]

44 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

 

Good Lord man.  Good Lord.  
 

 

Do you need an Econ lesson?  Sure you do.  Let me explain.  
 

 

As income shrinks and prices rise - demand for inferior goods increases.  The inferior good being Great Value.  
 

As demand increases for said inferior good, prices will rise.  
 

The prices of Great Value have to rise in relation to demand.  
 

This is called the forces in the market trying to find equilibrium.  
 

Or, in low info Commie land, price gouging.  “Its the corporations fault!!!”

 

 

No you dolt.  It’s so bad, demand for inferior goods across the board is skyrocketing and prices for those goods are responding or we’d have what we call in Economics a shortage. 

At least we slowed the spread tho!!!  

 

 

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk. 

So now the cult loves corporate greed - got it.

 

Numerous companies, including those in oil and gas, are recording unprecedented profits.

And while they are seeing record profit, Walmart cut wages for new hires last year.

 

 

[daz28]

1 hour ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

1 hour ago, Big Blitz said:

 

Good Lord man.  Good Lord.  
 

 

Do you need an Econ lesson?  Sure you do.  Let me explain.  
 

 

As income shrinks and prices rise - demand for inferior goods increases.  The inferior good being Great Value.  
 

As demand increases for said inferior good, prices will rise.  
 

The prices of Great Value have to rise in relation to demand.  
 

This is called the forces in the market trying to find equilibrium.  
 

Or, in low info Commie land, price gouging.  “Its the corporations fault!!!”

 

 

No you dolt.  It’s so bad, demand for inferior goods across the board is skyrocketing and prices for those goods are responding or we’d have what we call in Economics a shortage. 

At least we slowed the spread tho!!!  

 

 

Thank you for listening to my TED Talk. 

You passed ECO101 congrats, but now it's time to live in the REAL world, where 'perfect competition' doesn't actually exist. The economics that are actually in practice are oligopoly(simple to research).  You've shown zero examples of why his claim that price gouging isn't happening.  Here's a few that show it IS happening:

 

Cargill has had a hand in sourcing or processing, whether it’s wheat, soy, cocoa, feed for livestock, or the meat that ends up in grocery stores and restaurants. In fiscal year 2022, its revenue reached a record $165 billion. A record $6.68 billion of that was profit, double what its profits were in 2020. Its shareholders received $1.21 billion of those profits in dividends — yet another record.

 

Tyson Foods, the largest meat company in the US, also more than doubled its profits between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.

 

General Mills, which owns a variety of cereal brands as well as food brands like Annie’s, Betty Crocker, Chex, and Bisquick, has raised prices five times since 2021 and indicated another price hike could be coming soon. At the end of last year, its profits were up 97 percent compared to the previous quarter, and up 16 percent annually.

 

Conagra, which owns packaged food brands like Healthy Choice, Duncan Hines, and Reddi-wip, noted a 22 percent profit increase in its last quarterly earnings report.

 

Kraft-Heinz, the multinational food company that makes Oscar Mayer, Jell-O, and Kool Aid, profits for the quarter ending at the end of 2022 were up nearly 450%, compared to the prior year, at $887 million.

 

Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg producer in the U.S., reported that its revenue doubled and profit surged 718% last quarter because of higher egg prices.

 

The Mars family, whose company makes candy (3 Musketeers, Skittles, M&M’s, Snickers), packaged food (Ben’s Original, Tasty Bite, MasterFoods), pet food, and more, boast six billionaire members who are together worth about $115 billion. Between 2020 and 2021, they added $21 billion to their fortunes.

 

Nestle gross profit margin increased by 70 basis points to 45.9%. Pricing, cost efficiencies and portfolio optimization more than offset significant cost inflation.

 

JBS Adjusted pre-tax earnings reached a new record of R$45.7 billion (US$8.5 billion) – up 54pc – while net income for the year ended 31 December was R$20.5 billion – up 345pc, year-on-year.

 

 

Edited March 23 by daz28

[Big Blitz]

4 hours ago, daz28 said:

 

You passed ECO101 congrats, but now it's time to live in the REAL world, where 'perfect competition' doesn't actually exist. The economics that are actually in practice are oligopoly(simple to research).  You've shown zero examples of why his claim that price gouging isn't happening.  Here's a few that show it IS happening:

 

Cargill has had a hand in sourcing or processing, whether it’s wheat, soy, cocoa, feed for livestock, or the meat that ends up in grocery stores and restaurants. In fiscal year 2022, its revenue reached a record $165 billion. A record $6.68 billion of that was profit, double what its profits were in 2020. Its shareholders received $1.21 billion of those profits in dividends — yet another record.

 

Tyson Foods, the largest meat company in the US, also more than doubled its profits between the first quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022.

 

General Mills, which owns a variety of cereal brands as well as food brands like Annie’s, Betty Crocker, Chex, and Bisquick, has raised prices five times since 2021 and indicated another price hike could be coming soon. At the end of last year, its profits were up 97 percent compared to the previous quarter, and up 16 percent annually.

 

Conagra, which owns packaged food brands like Healthy Choice, Duncan Hines, and Reddi-wip, noted a 22 percent profit increase in its last quarterly earnings report.

 

Kraft-Heinz, the multinational food company that makes Oscar Mayer, Jell-O, and Kool Aid, profits for the quarter ending at the end of 2022 were up nearly 450%, compared to the prior year, at $887 million.

 

Cal-Maine Foods, the largest egg producer in the U.S., reported that its revenue doubled and profit surged 718% last quarter because of higher egg prices.

 

The Mars family, whose company makes candy (3 Musketeers, Skittles, M&M’s, Snickers), packaged food (Ben’s Original, Tasty Bite, MasterFoods), pet food, and more, boast six billionaire members who are together worth about $115 billion. Between 2020 and 2021, they added $21 billion to their fortunes.

 

Nestle gross profit margin increased by 70 basis points to 45.9%. Pricing, cost efficiencies and portfolio optimization more than offset significant cost inflation.

 

JBS Adjusted pre-tax earnings reached a new record of R$45.7 billion (US$8.5 billion) – up 54pc – while net income for the year ended 31 December was R$20.5 billion – up 345pc, year-on-year.

 

 

 

This is nothing new - big corporations make big profits.  
 

 

DEI Mars, yea almost half of corporate is female.  And MAGA has been on them and their hiring practices - minorities prioritized but that also means illegals.  And when you follow CCP rules of DEI, you’re looked out for:

 

America First Legal Files Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against Mars, Inc. for Illegal, Racist, and Sexist Hiring Practices

 

https://aflegal.org/america-first-legal-files-federal-civil-rights-complaint-against-mars-inc-for-illegal-racist-and-sexist-hiring-practices/

 

 

You left one out.  Tyson Foods.  

 

Stop illegal immigration.  Hire Americans.  
 

As long as the dirt cheap alternative is there they won’t be forced to pay higher wages.  
 

 

 

Not just here - in their overseas supply chains:

 

https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/12/mars-nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us

 

 

What are Democrats doing to stop these corporations from making billions?  
 

Raise their taxes?   This is their response to that:

 

[Big Blitz]

1 hour ago, Big Blitz said:

 

 

What are Democrats doing to stop these corporations from making billions?  
 

Raise their taxes?   This is their response to that:

 

 

 

 

Yep.  Told you.  And their low info voters will eat this up.  
 

“Ultra” billionaires lol.  They thought it focused group so well with “ultra - MAGA” they’re going to use it to make up this supposedly new group of income earners. 
 

 

 

Pay your fair share blah blah blah shut the ***k up and find out why how you can cut the costs of we, the little people on everything.   
 

My favorite new fee from the last 4 years is the Pay Pal rules.  
 

And as I learned from the FAFSA debacle you are now punishing families.  
 

And the folks that have to pay for bags to shop at grocery stores.  You can’t buy more than 15 items anyway so you don’t need more bags.  

[daz28]

17 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

 

This is nothing new - big corporations make big profits.  
 

 

DEI Mars, yea almost half of corporate is female.  And MAGA has been on them and their hiring practices - minorities prioritized but that also means illegals.  And when you follow CCP rules of DEI, you’re looked out for:

 

America First Legal Files Federal Civil Rights Complaint Against Mars, Inc. for Illegal, Racist, and Sexist Hiring Practices

 

https://aflegal.org/america-first-legal-files-federal-civil-rights-complaint-against-mars-inc-for-illegal-racist-and-sexist-hiring-practices/

 

 

You left one out.  Tyson Foods.  

 

Stop illegal immigration.  Hire Americans.  
 

As long as the dirt cheap alternative is there they won’t be forced to pay higher wages.  
 

 

 

Not just here - in their overseas supply chains:

 

https://amp.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/feb/12/mars-nestle-and-hershey-to-face-landmark-child-slavery-lawsuit-in-us

 

 

What are Democrats doing to stop these corporations from making billions?  
 

Raise their taxes?   This is their response to that:

 

You IMMEDIATELY pivoted to DEI, because either you know there's gouging, or you just want to ignore the facts.  I didn't forget Tyson.  Illegals actually make your goods cheaper, where American workers, who wouldn't do the work anyways, would make it more expensive.  Thye can't find enough workers.  I never claimed the Democrats were smart, but have you ever heard of windfall tax?  Let them laugh that one off.

[Big Blitz]

4 hours ago, daz28 said:

You IMMEDIATELY pivoted to DEI, because either you know there's gouging, or you just want to ignore the facts. 

 

Republicans have always sided with corporations and the wealthy.  
 

We know they’re worthless.  
 

Until Trump.  More on that in a minute.  

 

What's changed here in 2024 America is that Democrats who used to care about the working man decided during the Obama era to shift to being the identity politics Maoist party it is today - it decided (with finality during Covid) to completely get in bed with big corporations kicking the concerns of the working man (person?) straight to the curb.  
 

This piece explains a lot of what’s going on - it does acknowledge how there could be some “greed” or gouging but you can’t prove it and it’s more complicated.  But this is the takeaway that should *** off everyone as we are held hostage now by these big corporations you want to complain about - the author wants you to believe the Biden administration is doing something about this.  It ain’t doing Jack ***t.  Corporate America didn’t jack up prices during Covid when they absolutely should have.  The author makes this passing comment like “whoops.  Our bad.”  That’s bull.  Draw your own conclusions I’ve got mine.  
 

I said this during the entire Trump era - if the GOP can’t shift with MAGA and create a new party of the working man they deserve to lose.  Because the Democrats no longer care we’re all f…ed.  They now care more about the evolving pride flag than the American flag.  

 

 

 

The other way to limit corporate greed, Hill said, is greater competition between companies.

 

"We don't have what we would think of as a natural competition because there are what we call barriers to entry," Hill said.
 

For instance, it's hard to start a new grocery chain right now, for example, because a new owner can't compete easily with other chains that already have 500 locations.

 

"And when those barriers to entry are really high, then we end up having a handful of companies selling these goods or services to consumers ... and the consumers don't have a lot of options," Hill said.

 

Consumers can't pick an alternative to Coke or Pepsi, for example, because most fast food restaurants carry one or two particular brands, Hill said. And while there are lots of other sodas, a majority of them are owned by the Coca Cola company and PepsiCo.

 

But there are efforts in the federal government to change those circumstances.

 

As mentioned above, senators and members of Congress have brought forth legislation aimed at companies that price gouge and profiteer. 

 

Increasing economic competition has also been a focus for President Joe Biden during his time in office. In July 2021, Biden signed an executive order that created the White House Competition Council, a group dedicated to efforts that "increase competition and deliver concrete benefits to America’s consumers, workers, farmers, and small businesses."

 

"...When there are only a few employers in town, workers have less opportunity to bargain for a higher wage and to demand dignity and respect in the workplace," the White House said on a webpage about the Council's efforts.

 

https://www.nbcwashington.com/inflation-economy-housing-prices-recession-vibes/prices-have-gone-up-since-the-pandemic-began-is-that-inflation-really-corporate-greed/3536808/

Edited March 25 by Big Blitz

[BillStime]

24 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

Until Trump.

 

gtfoh

 

[Big Blitz]

10 minutes ago, BillStime said:

 

gtfoh

 

 

Stunning!  Thank you for continuing to offer nothing of substance.  
 

 

 

[Doc Brown]

$2.96/gallon

[Doc]

9 hours ago, Big Blitz said:

 

Stunning!  Thank you for continuing to offer nothing of substance.  
 

 

 

 

Notice they had to whip out Barry.  That's how bad things are going for them.

[BillStime]

Coping is tough for the cult. They just can't stand being reminded what they voted for…