I see where FOX *news* is still feuding with the DISH Network over how much they should pay for being carried on their platform. In the fiscally conservative eyes of FOX, DISH wants too much money. This is rather delicious irony from folks who tout the free market. Looks like the invisible hand of that free market reached down and gave FOX a severe spanking! And not the good kind. The DISH folks have about a 12% share of the cable market and FOX viewership is down 12-13% percent from this time last year. More than likely FOX will bend and a deal will be worked out. This seems to happen every week with one station or another.
Corporations get a little hard-headed though. Walmart tried to make inroads into Australia, for example, but that country refused to give them exemptions from their $16+ an hour minimum wage. Closer to home, Washington D.C, refused as well but only for a New York minute. The D.C. minimum is @ $8.25 per hour but there had been a bill that would require big-box stores like Walmart to pay $12.50. The mayor promptly vetoed that bill and Walmart moved in. Can you imagine this nation's largest and wealthiest employer crunching numbers and determining that they can't afford to pay a living wage to workers? They can pay slightly over the minimum but, that still necessitates taxpayer supplemented welfare for about 30% of their employees. If they start paying $12 or more, those employees will lose that supplement and Walmart will be hurtin' for certain!Oh my! Too big to fail? Or could they have possibly failed at getting so big?
With the non-business in Australia they pretty much came right out and said: To Hell with making billions of dollars in this country! It's the thought of paying good wages that disgusts us and we won't be party to that!
It's as if Ferrerman was sitting in on their corporate meetings, isn't it?
Really though, isn't that the free market? If you can't afford labor perhaps you shouldn't be in business? I think a dozen states raised their minimums, this January 1. That was due to the will of the people, last November's mid-terms.
It makes me wonder if Walmart could be priced out of existence via rising wages and their own hard-headedness. Why not? That is the free market. The void would be filled by the 1950's mom and pop stores that republicans pay lip service to, from time to time. Small business! As big box stores fall by the wayside, store fronts open up. Entrepreneurs open them. Your neighbors. Just like it pretty much used to be.
Same with the big banks. What's wrong with little banks? Really now, why does everything have to be too big to fail when they've already proven they can fail and be rather belligerent about it in the process?
The major thing wrong with capitalism is the capitalists themselves. It tends to work better for all of us when there are more of them and when they actually include us as both management and labor. I guess that, in a way, I'm applauding FOX, Walmart and the big banks of Wall Street for their hard-headedness. Go on and fail. That's your business. Just don't take us down with you.
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