#1529 Monopolies Run By Morons
Best of the Left - Leftist Perspectives on Progressive Politics, News, Culture, Economics and Democracy
Jay Tomlinson
4.5 • 3.4K Ratings
🗓️ 4 December 2022
⏱️ 67 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Air Date 12/3/2022
Today, we take a look at the mega-companies that touch all of our lives and the monopolistic practices that have been developed to keep power and wealth concentrated with the few while the rest of us get screwed.
Be part of the show! Leave us a message at 202-999-3991 or email Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Get AD FREE Shows and Bonus Content)
OUR AFFILIATE LINKS:
BestOfTheLeft.com/HOLIDAY (BOTL GIFT GUIDE!)
ExpressVPN.com/BestOfTheLeft GET INTERNET PRIVACY WITH EXPRESS VPN!
SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Tech Monopolies - Last Week Tonight with John Oliver - Air Date 6-13-22
John Oliver discusses tech monopolies, and how to address the hidden harm they can do.
Ch. 2: How Ticketmaster Is Destroying Live Music - More Perfect Union - Air Date 10-19-22
Ticketmaster is destroying live music. Their scam fees now cost as much as 78% of a ticket. They control the events, the venues, and even the artists. There’s a movement pushing the Justice Department to take on its monopoly. Cory Doctorow breaks it down.
Not since the Great Depression have corporate profits soared so high. But it is not enough to satisfy them. More than 54% of the inflation America is experiencing is caused by record-setting corporate profits.
Safeway, Ralphs, Smiths, Harris Teeters, Shaws, Kings, Randalls, and about 25 other brands, will all be owned by a single company if the Kroger-Albertsons merger goes through. And that’s really bad news for the prices you pay.
Novelist Cory Doctorow and intellectual property expert Rebecca Giblin discuss their new book, Chokepoint Capitalism, which documents the increasing tensions between extractive corporations and creative laborers.
Ch. 6: Making The Case For Abolishing Billionaires - MSNBC - Air Date 11-21-22
"One after another, four of our best-known billionaires laid waste to the image of benevolent saviors carefully cultivated by their class," Anand Giridharadas writes in a recent New York Times column.
Ch. 7: Elon Musk Is An Idiot (and so are Zuck and SBF) - Adam Conover - Air Date 11-23-22
Tech CEOs aren't geniuses, and here's the proof.
MEMBERS-ONLY BONUS CLIP(S)
FINAL COMMENTS
Ch. 9: Final comments on how regulation helps stop financial scams
MUSIC (Blue Dot Sessions):
- Opening Theme: Loving Acoustic Instrumental by John Douglas Orr
- Voicemail Music: Low Key Lost Feeling Electro by Alex Stinnent
- Activism Music: This Fickle World by Theo Bard (https://theobard.bandcamp.com/track/this-fickle-world)
- Closing Music: Upbeat Laid Back Indie Rock by Alex Stinnent
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com
Listen Anywhere! BestOfTheLeft.com/Listen Listen Anywhere!
Follow at Twitter.com/BestOfTheLeft
Like at Facebook.com/BestOfTheLeft
Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | We've collected into one place all of our favorite ways that you can support the show while |
| 0:07.2 | doing any holiday shopping this year, that's at bestofleft.com slash holiday. |
| 0:13.0 | We appreciate this sport again, that's bestofleft.com slash holiday. |
| 0:17.8 | And now, welcome to this episode of the award-winning Best of Left podcast, in which we shall |
| 0:22.2 | take a look at the mega companies that touch all of our lives and the monopolistic practices |
| 0:27.8 | that have been developed to keep power and wealth concentrated with the few while the rest |
| 0:32.3 | of us get screwed. |
| 0:33.7 | But first, just a quick and exciting announcement. |
| 0:37.4 | We can now accept text messages, in addition to voice mails and emails. |
| 0:43.4 | It's the same number we've always had, but I've done some technical wizardry behind the |
| 0:47.3 | scenes, so that you can now text us using just super standard SMS, but you can also use |
| 0:53.1 | it to find us on WhatsApp and the signal messaging app. |
| 0:57.7 | So save our number, and then whenever the mood strikes, you can send me your questions |
| 1:01.7 | and comments through the method of your choice. |
| 1:04.5 | Our number again, 202-99993-991, and that's good for voice mails, text, WhatsApp, and signal |
| 1:13.6 | messages. |
| 1:14.9 | And now, onto the show, clips today are from last week tonight, more perfect union, the Tom |
| 1:20.4 | Hartman program, Pitchfork Economics, MSNBC, and Adam Conover, with an additional members |
| 1:26.6 | on the clip from Pitchfork Economics. |
| 1:29.3 | And stay tuned at the end where I'll describe my personal example of the need for regulation |
| 1:34.8 | to prevent a financial scam. |
| 1:36.5 | Let's start with a tiny bit of history, because in the past, the US has actually taken strong |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jay Tomlinson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Jay Tomlinson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.