Why Price Fixing is the Miracle Cure Our Economy Desperately Needs

Author: Greyparrot

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#1
Greyparrot
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Let’s face it, the economy is just too complicated with all this pesky "supply and demand" nonsense. Who needs the invisible hand of the market when we can have the very visible, and oh-so-wise, hand of price fixing? Here’s why price fixing is the economic miracle we've all been waiting for:

  1. Goodbye, Inflation! Why let prices rise naturally when we can just decide what they should be? By setting prices in stone, we can ensure that everything costs exactly what we want it to, forever. Forget those annoying price tags that keep changing. Your morning coffee will cost $1.99 until the end of time, no matter how much coffee beans cost or whether they’re in short supply. Stability, folks, that’s what we need!
  2. Competition is Overrated: Let’s be honest, competition is stressful. Why force companies to innovate, improve quality, or lower prices to win your business? With price fixing, every company can charge the same amount for the same product. Who needs choice when you can have uniformity? Plus, think of the savings on advertising—no need to convince you they’re better if they all charge the same price!
  3. A Simpler Life for Everyone: Imagine a world where you never have to shop around for the best deal because every store charges exactly the same price for everything. Need a new phone? It’ll cost you $500, whether it’s a state-of-the-art model or a brick from 2002. And no more stressing over those confusing sales or discounts—just one price, all the time. Simple, right?
So let’s embrace price fixing as the economic panacea it clearly is. Who needs market dynamics when we can just dictate prosperity from the top down? After all, if history has taught us anything, it’s that central planning always works out just fine! 😜

#2
ADreamOfLiberty
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@Greyparrot
100% genius.

I also had an idea. All of this people killing people, people raping people. It's got to stop you know?

So why don't we make it against the law to do that? Also natural disasters kill people. They should also be illegal.
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#3
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@ADreamOfLiberty
Cool. Now do guns. After that, do Fentanyl. 
#4
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@Greyparrot
Guns are fun, when you make murder illegal it's not like they're dangerous. It's like turning friendly fire off in a video game.

Also, why not fix the prices at $0?
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#5
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@ADreamOfLiberty
Also, why not fix the prices at $0?

Genius move.
#6
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@Greyparrot
Replace the police with philosophical security system: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/agWX23xZrh0?feature=share
#7
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@Greyparrot
I'm for just abolishing the entire monetary prison system altogether. We never needed currency, just obviously the resources.
#8
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@ADreamOfLiberty
There you go. Unfortunately, the monetary system has gotten so far out of control, it has us pinned and locked down under its perpetual cycle.
#9
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@Mall
I'm for just abolishing the entire monetary prison system altogether. We never needed currency, just obviously the resources.
Yes. Money is the source of many evils.

It enables some to be very rich, which then makes some other very poor. There is enough resources for all to have enough, but when greed appears, then some take too much so others cant get enough.
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#10
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@Mall
Problem solved. And we didn't have to elect Kamala to fix prices.
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#11
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@ADreamOfLiberty

Magical policies.
#12
HistoryBuff
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@Greyparrot
Let’s face it, the economy is just too complicated with all this pesky "supply and demand" nonsense.
this right here is where you misunderstand. Much of the price raises have nothing to do with supply and demand. They just have to do with greed and price fixing. For example when a drug company buys up a patent for a life saving drug, then jacks up the price by 500%. The price of making the drug didn't go up. The demand for the drug didn't go up. The only thing that changed is the company decided they wanted to gouge for more money, and since no one else can make that life saving drug, people have to choose between paying it, or death. 

But you can see it in every day places. Look at food prices. The costs of ingredients and labor have gone up a little, but they are raising prices FAR in excess in the excess costs. They are running record profits and pretending like the reason for their prices going up is that their costs are going up. But if that were true, their profits wouldn't have gone up. The capitalist solution to that is competition. Some other company should come in and undercut them. But they're not. Those other companies know that fighting like that only hurts all of their profits. So they all just keep raising prices and getting richer. There is no free market solution to this problem because the "free market" is doing the price fixing. 
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#13
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@HistoryBuff
Cool, so let's set the prices at zero. Problem solved.
#14
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Let's see, massive money printing which all rational people would agree must lead to massive currency devaluation or "they just got greedy".... mmmmmmm

BTW it's the "greed" that makes them want to undercut each other. Any lack of rapid market response is due to government pressure already in place making it damn near illegal to produce anything without waiting 10 years and bribing 20 people.

The prices went up because all the prices went up because the money supply went up; but the money supply went up because people who weren't producing (as much) got free money (and when I say 'people' think 80% government grifters).

To the people in the unfavored part of the market (those who aren't cheating through government) it just looks like all their employees are about to quit because they can't pay their bills anymore and all the input products just went up 20-50%. So they raise their prices. They all raise their prices because this is happening everywhere, not because of a 30 million man conspiracy, but then again as I keep telling Double R you don't actually need to conspire to act in concert. You just need to know the rules of the game so I'll grant that you don't need to conspire to fix prices to choose to fix prices.

It simply is not something that happens without conspiracy in a free market because in a free market a company can make more profit through volume if they can take more of the market-share. Companies don't share the market if they can help it, not unless there is no other choice and when buried under the mountains of regulation, currency manipulation, credit uncertainty, punishment of saving, etc... etc... there is no other choice (all due to government action).


but you said something which would disprove all of that if true:
They are running record profits and pretending like the reason for their prices going up is that their costs are going up.
That is simply false.

Some companies may be seeing higher real profits (nominal numbers are meaningless during rapid inflation), those are probably the ones who are involved in government corruption.

Socialists are ultimately classists, and their simplistic minds have only "rich" and "poor" with no differentiation, but there is a huge practical and moral difference between a man who is rich by conspiring with thieves and a man who is rich by baking the best bread in town.

There is no end to the propaganda made from statistics in the USA (and other semi-socialist countries) which include government-corporate collusion (i.e. economic fascism) along with honest productive companies. This also applies to the top hierarchy of those companies be they stockholders or CEOs.

Or in other words "some of them, I'm sure are good people" (BUT NOT ALL).
#15
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@Greyparrot
Cool, so let's set the prices at zero. Problem solved.
no one has ever said that. But letting the market decide the prices has caused the prices to skyrocket because corporations are, by design greedy. The free market is failing us. 

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#16
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I am saying it.
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@ADreamOfLiberty
Some companies may be seeing higher real profits (nominal numbers are meaningless during rapid inflation), those are probably the ones who are involved in government corruption.

Food is extremely low profit margin I would love to see price controls on food. 
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I am saying it.
that's stupid. There is a price that it costs to produce something. There is a healthy profit margin that should be added on top of that. But if the "free market" decides that a profit margin should be 10,000% of the cost to produce it, then the market is wrong. The government needs to step in to stop that from happening since that is obviously not functioning correctly. 
#19
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@Greyparrot
it’s that central planning always works out just fine! 
North Korea debt = 0$

USA debt: 34 trillion$

So yeah, looks like central planning works.
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#20
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@Best.Korea
Thank you. All prices should be zero.
#21
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#22
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@Greyparrot
US economy is doomed to fail anyway, since its based on endless wars.
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#23
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Thank you. All prices should be zero.
#24
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But if the "free market" decides that a profit margin should be 10,000% of the cost to produce it, then the market is wrong. The government needs to step in to stop that from happening since that is obviously not functioning correctly. 
What does it cost to make a hit album? A few thousand in instruments and labor maybe?

How about you start there, see what happens to the music industry.
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Also sports. Also putting a person with a bean-counting government level of talent and ability in charge of national innovation.
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What does it cost to make a hit album? A few thousand in instruments and labor maybe?
the problem with your analogy is that no one needs an album to live. If people think it's too expensive they just don't buy it. They don't have that option if it's food or shelter. If you don't eat, you die. If all the grocery stores raise prices, you pay what it costs to live. 

I'm totally fine with songs or movies costing whatever they want to charge. I'm not ok with children starving so a grocery store chain can do another billion is stock buy backs. 
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What does it cost to make a hit album? A few thousand in instruments and labor maybe?
the problem with your analogy is that no one needs an album to live.
No, the problem with your description is that it missed the fact that "profit" is a contextual term. The context is a specific production chain.

A worker's wage is profit when lunch and transport are subtracted. Is it 10,000% profit or is that the value of the musicians labor?


If it was worth less than people would not buy it. Very little is worth less than living another day. That is why someone who is saving your life every day can charge a hell of a lot of money and you'll still consent to pay it. Rather than whine about the price, beat it; after all if you think you can fix the price lower that means you should be able to produce the good or service for less. In that case there is no need to fix the price, simply undercut.

So be my guest. Start with California. Government farms. Government hospitals. Government schools (oh wait we have those, it's going well lol). Beat those filthy capitalists at their own game, it should be easy given you can waste 5000% and still come it at half their greedy price right?


you pay what it costs to live. 
Indeed you do, and it a historical verified economic fact that it costs more to live when governments are semi-enslaving a lot of people.


I'm not ok with children starving so a grocery store chain can do another billion is stock buy backs.
Your ignorance is what starves children, just as it did in China, Russia, and everywhere else the fallacies you advanced have been implemented. I believe you should have the liberty to try any production system you want, if it's superior it will take over. Only an inferior system must use force to prevent competitors from co-existing.
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@Greyparrot
Problem solved in virtual reality. I was born into this system, most likely I'll die in it.
#29
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So the demand for a more supply of money is what's going.
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No, the problem with your description is that it missed the fact that "profit" is a contextual term.
no, when discussing the production and sale of goods it is very, very simple. How much did it cost to make per unit? How much are you selling per unit? Any grade schooler could do that math. There is no "context" here. 

If it was worth less than people would not buy it.
unless of course, if you don't consume it you will die. Then you are forced to pay whatever they are charging. 

That is why someone who is saving your life every day can charge a hell of a lot of money and you'll still consent to pay it.
this is exactly my point. Predatory companies gain control of a market, then jack up the prices knowing you have no choice but to buy it.

So be my guest. Start with California. Government farms. Government hospitals.
government hospitals sounds great. We should definitely do that. But no one is suggesting government farms. There are all kinds of things you can do without the government getting directly involved in producing products. 

I believe you should have the liberty to try any production system you want, if it's superior it will take over.
but superior for whom? That is the critical question. The system we have now is superior. Assuming you are a billionaire. A small percentage of the population benefits enormously from the current system and those people have massively outsized political power. 

Only an inferior system must use force to prevent competitors from co-existing.
I have not suggested using force to prevent competitors. My point is that the current system stifles competition and encourages gouging.