Re:One-Fifth of U.S. Beef Capacity Wiped Out by JBS Cyberattack
by aphextron on Tuesday June 01, 2021 @06:36PM
(#27362360)
Consolidation leads to efficiency. Which in the case of commodities, is the only way to ensure low prices. A new slaughter company is not going to innovate a more efficient means of producing a pound of beef. In theory, a perfectly run state monopoly would be the ideal system. But that rarely ends well. In the US we've worked out a sort of half way between the two extremes, where large private corporations are allowed to consolidate in the name of consumer prices, while still maintaining just enough competition for profit motive to keep things well run. It's not perfect but it's the best we've figured out so far.
Re:One-Fifth of U.S. Beef Capacity Wiped Out by JBS Cyberattack
by heavyset_go on Tuesday June 01, 2021 @06:31PM
(#27362308)
The security state is willing to do anything, up to kidnapping, torture and murder, in order to not change a thing about the current economic order.
I expect the problem to be addressed with technology, treaties, extraditions and putting a lot of people in prisons before the fragility of consolidation is addressed.
Re:One-Fifth of U.S. Beef Capacity Wiped Out by JBS Cyberattack
by unclebucknasty on Tuesday June 01, 2021 @06:52PM
(#27362483)
There are many problems with over-consolidation, but this isn't one of them.
The primary problem here is criminals and criminal organizations parading as nation-states. The secondary problem is systems and networks that are insufficiently secured.
The real problem is that here, like so many other places in modern society, we've allowed consolidation to proceed far beyond healthy levels - when a single company is responsible for 20% of beef supply, it's time for antitrust action! (Yes, I'm looking at you, too, Internet, Tech, Media, Pharma, Aerospace/Defense, etc. companies...)
Maybe just allow one merger per decade, only available to companies with less than 10% of their market?