Pirate's Cove

Monopolies can, at times, be a force for good. They can also be a big problem. Look at ones like Facebook and Google….oh, wait

Biden’s assault on monopolies launches Friday

The White House is scheduled to issue an executive order Friday to promote competition throughout the U.S. economy in the most ambitious effort in generations to reduce the stranglehold of monopolies and concentrated markets in major industries.

The order — whose details POLITICO first reported last week — marks a major push by President Joe Biden’s administration to focus on competition as part of the economic recovery from the pandemic. It also offers a response to progressives’ criticisms that the federal government has focused too much on supporting banks and other corporations without concern about the effect on consumers, who have watched their choices dwindle over the years.

Biden plans to sign the order at 1:30 p.m., the White House said.

The order’s impacts could be felt in industries including agriculture, airlines, health, broadband and banking. Previously unreported elements include a provision urging the Federal Communications Commission to reinstate its Obama-era net neutrality rules, as well as a call for financial regulators to allow data sharing among financial companies.

Over the past week, the White House has trickled out information on various aspects of the order and how it will encourage greater consumer protections and competition.

In other words, this is just some virtue signaling by Sleepy Joe, throwing a bone to his unhinged Moonbat Progressive base, because it doesn’t actually do anything, and doesn’t touch on the actual monopolies in the tech industry. Dementia Joe is just trying to insert himself in a few choice businesses. While there are certainly some really big banks, airlines, broadband providers, and agriculture companies, none are really monopolies.

The order is expected to include initiatives such as forcing airlines to refund fees to passengers who receive shoddy Wi-Fi service or baggage handling; restricting businesses’ ability to foist noncompete agreements on employees; challenging occupational licensing requirements that limit competition in industries like health care; and guaranteeing farmers and motorists the right to repair their own vehicles without voiding warranty protections. The last provision would also have implications for consumer products like Apple’s iPhones.

Seriously? Shoddy wifi or baggage handling? That’s his “monopoly” stuff? Good luck on the warranty stuff. An EO has no force of law when people are signing legal contracts in the private sector. Also, the non-compete stuff is interesting, since Democrats are mostly against “right to work” states.

Top White House officials said the order seeks to ensure small businesses and consumers have access to fair markets.

“The overarching objective with the executive order is to make sure the president is encouraging competition in industries around the country,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters Thursday.

But, Joe can’t make it happen. It’s just an EO. What about the monopoly of government?

While the White House can command executive branch agencies like the departments of Transportation and Agriculture to take action, the order styles its directions as “suggestions” to avoid the appearance the administration is inappropriately seeking to direct independent agencies like the FCC or FTC. That could avoid the kind of blowback that Trump faced when he pressed both agencies to crack down on social media companies.

But, the EO can get agencies to harass private companies, just not the ones that are a big problem, like social media ones. The rest of the article details how the EO will see executive office agencies pass more and more arbitrary rules, inserting the federal government into more and more businesses.