AIPAC exists because it’s precursor was found to be a foreign agent and forced to register.
AIPAC doesn’t have to register as a foreign agent, and it’s a total coincidence they donate to the majority of people who determine if they have to register as a foreign agent…
2010 Olympics they tried to break their debit system into the Canadian market.
We used Cash or Visa credit cards for the Olympics, their debit system is atrociously predatory. The Interact system is completely superior to any debit system in the US.
EMVCo has been a terrible monopolistic cartel for decades. They literally control who gets access to the payment network and they can cut you off instantly without a court order - virtually holding the ability of every company on Earth to conduct business at their mercy: if they don’t like you, you’re dead.
EMVCo is the most egregious and most dangerous global cartel nobody is talking about. And the DoJ only figured that out now? Justice is not just blind, it’s also asleep.
While I generally agree, I do think the Justice Department is beginning to press these cases more often. They just got Google legally recognized as a monopolist, so it seems to be working so far, probably because they took their time building up a strong case.
The DoJ will never touch EMV. They’re much, MUCH more entrenched and powerful than even Google. They literally control payments worldwide - the very fabric of society. No government in the world wants to touch that rat’s nest with a 10-foot pool, because if payments start to show even a hint of added friction, it can literally bring down a country’s GDP.
That’s why EMV has been allowed to operate virtually unchecked, and dictates who gets to be on their network with zero pushback - especially since the people EMV strikes off their network are usually people the government would like to get rid of too, like Wikileaks. So the powers that be are very happy to maintain the status quo.
A true case of fascist-style collusion between the state and the private sector. This cartel will never be broken.
In my neighborhood a catastrophic flood went though and destroyed many neighbors homes. FEMA disaster relief was enacted. Anyone with homeowners insurance was not eligible and the homeowners insurance would not pay out any money because it was a FEMA disaster area. I heard this so many times from so many angry and helpless victims.
Florida is in a downward spiral. It’s going to be a real shit show. Before you know it the state will be the only entity willing to insure property there.
Yep, in my area insurance is dropping fire coverage from homes in areas with high fire risk. It’s also kinda valid on the part of the insurance companies (there are areas ripe for disaster) so policies (like requiring them to provide coverage) aren’t enough—some people are going to need to move and it will be much more equitable if it is planned.
Yeah, the plan is to keep building in areas that are just on the precipice of some kind of climate disaster, 5 or 10 years out, then lock buyers in 30yr mortgages.
Keep moving to and building in Arizona and Texas and then do a Pikachu face when their power grids collapse from a massive sustained heat wave or blizzard or drought, and tens of thousands freeze or boil to death.
Unless you are envisioning some kind of massive New Deal, CCC levels of programs to overhaul our infrastructure and provide actually affordable housing in climatologically safe areas,… something like that as ‘the plan’… then uh yeah, best we are gonna get is:
Pay even more for housing in actually safe areas, or still overpay for uninsurable homes.
Maybe some conservatives are secretly cheering for climate change to ravage 3rd world countries, maybe, but most billionaires (capitalists) don’t actually want people to die. They aren’t cartoon villians, they’re just selfish assholes who don’t care enough about anyone else to see past their quarterly profits. A malignant cancer isn’t trying to kill the host, it is just growing and hording resources as aggressively as it can. Capitalism works the same way.
no, not cartoon villains, just morbidly self interested and narcissistic.
any host (out world included) has a finite carrying capacity. we are currently well beyond ours. the profit motive is strong in these people but, for a small but meaningful few, survival is (surprisingly) stronger - go figure!
<ravings> however, in typical billionaire/trillionaire grandiosity, I don’t think the idea is just survival, but correction. and the correction is reducing the load on the planet to appropriate levels for profit and service - I kinda, sorta think the dime store tony stark himself, one elon musk, is there on this… </ravings>
I have no proof other than my fevered imagination and observation of people and especially those who think themselves masters of the universe.
am I right/wrong? I am not sure it matters. we are in 100% uncharted territory here and the likleyhood is high that we all go down together on this one.
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