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If they now want to claim that those business-friendly laws, the open infrastructure for them to utilize, the massive markets for them to access are God-given rights and not part of an agreement between them and us ... well then... it's not our capitalism... and we'll be breaking out of that cycle.

We provide the infrastructure. We provide the workforce. We educate the young. We bring up each generation of labor. We don't do it because it's the ultimate goal - to create consumers - but because it was our part of that virtuous cycle between us and the corporations/wealthy.

Those who like to argue to argue that efforts like New York's low-cost groceries, or making data centers build their own water/power resources are a move towards socialism seem to forget that the capitalism that made the US great was ALWAYS done with an eye for the greater good.

After all was said and done, their agreement to deliver 45mbps service to 86 million households became 1.5mbps service to 20 million. The telcos excused themselves from the agreements they made & left us with the bill -- from that point on, they never again worked "for the good of the community".

That massive, multi-generation giveaway was done under an agreement for the telcos to provide for "the good of the community" (actual language in the agreements) that each served. They PROMISED social service for the greater good. They DELIVERED record profits for themselves.

The $200 billion tax break was the result of the telecommunications act. A way to encourage inexpensive, ubiquitous high-speed internet for citizens of the US Along with the tax break the telcos benefited from laws that gave them EXTREMELY generous right-of-way to deploy their networks.

Between 1996 and 2004, the major telcos were the beneficiaries of higher phone rates, once strictly regulated, and accelerated depreciation on their networks and direct tax credits on the average of $2,000 per subscriber which added up to more than $200 billion in profit for the telcos.

Let me give you an example: The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was supposed to encourage the creation of fiber-coax networks that would bring high-speed, 45Mbps bi-directional service to 86 million homes in all 50 states and DC by the year 2006.

We forgot about "the public good" People got so accustomed to corporations providing their services they forgot that those corporations EXIST to encourage the public good. Corporations forgot that the reason why the US is a business-friendly environment is b/c they once supported the public good.

We wrote our laws, established our social norms & created a society around that virtuous cycle, BUT there was always the understanding that the cycle exists BECAUSE it encourages a society in which all are invited to contribute, participate & share in the fruits. Everything for "the public good"

One of the things forgotten in "capitalism vs. x'ism" is that we (the US) thought capitalism was the best way to encourage the growth of a healthy society. Rewarding those who provide goods & services leads to innovation. Those who want those good & services will provide their labor & capital.

I am happy to celebrate the 5 newest priests in the Society of Jesus! 😇🥰

My iconographical interpretation is rusty, but I can say with relative certainty that this is the Indonesian Dr. Who meeting with Jesus.

The Thai bathroom signs were funny. The Indonesian bathroom signs are funnier 😂😇

Sweet! Lemme hook up my VCR to this bad boy and watch my cassette of TRON!

Yuuuup

funny you should mention them bsky.app/profile/padr...

Elon Musk says he got "a little carried away" with DOGE. I'm in a meeting in Thailand w/Jesuit Refugee Service showing how "a little carried away" has starved tens of thousands & displaced millions from their lands. But hey... At least he got to be a trillionaire for a while, right?

1980's: "In 50 years, we'll be in a post-scarcity world that values not wealth, but the contributions we make to society" Now: "Maybe if I post my scientific findings to a porn site, I'll be able to replace the research grants that have been diverted to fund the dismantling of democracy"