@ISIDEWITHQuestionseconomyStarted 8yrs agoActive 1mo ago

Should the government prevent “mega mergers” of corporations that could potentially control a large percentage of market share within its industry?

In October 2016 AT&T announced that it intended to buy Time Warner Cable for $84.5 billion. The merger would create one of the biggest media companies in the history of the U.S. The announcement sparked criticism from Congressional Democrats and Republicans who argued that huge corporate mergers create monopolies which prevent competition. Since President Obama took office his administration has prevented several mega-mergers from taking place including Sprint and T-Mobile, AT&T and T-Mobile and Allergan and Pfizer. In 2015 $3.8 trillion dollar’s worth of mergers and acquisitions occurred which made it the largest year for corporate consolidation in the history of the U.S. Proponents of mergers argue that the government should not interfere with corporations and the free market should be allowed to run its own course.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 640 Congressional District 3 voters.

72%
Yes
28%
No
61%
Yes
20%
No
5%
Yes, if the merged corporation would have more than 50% of the market share
5%
No, and the government should not interfere with the free market
3%
Yes, and the government should break up existing mega corporations
3%
No, we already have sufficient anti-trust laws in place to prevent monopolies
2%
Yes, if the merged corporation would have more than 25% of the market share

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Trend of support over time for each answer from 640 Congressional District 3 voters.

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Trend of how important this issue is for 640 Congressional District 3 voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from Congressional District 3 voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @585W43Rfrom Texas  answered…4yrs4Y

No, this is an obstruction of the free market (it lessens competition and drives up prices) and a violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.

 @5P39V6Yfrom Virginia  answered…4yrs4Y

Success is success. This is America the land of opportunity so if someone does really well for themselves then great! They shouldn't be limited or further taxed

 @5PS3CTYfrom Montana  answered…4yrs4Y

End of lobbying confirmed, then legislation should be removed that benefits the larger established corporations and stifles start-up companies. That way the market will manage itself as the small guy can offer a cost effective solution free from endless laws and red tape that is unnecessary and costly to both services and jobs

 @5P54YPWfrom Maine  answered…4yrs4Y

Just nationalize them.

 @8JCJLWV from Texas  answered…4yrs4Y

Yes, this should be considered carefully because monopoly power is important in a democracy, and "natural monopolies" appear to be increasing.

 @9FGCG26 from Virginia  answered…1yr1Y

No, but they should be increasingly taxed so smaller companies can compete

 @5PDC4WBfrom Texas  answered…4yrs4Y

this is a trick question; we already have sufficient anti-trust laws in place to prevent monopolies; the media blitz is not altruisticaly revealing that the current attempt at a merger is simply being put through the paces of those very same anti-trust laws. so in this case "the government" is actually doing what it is supposed to

 @5NNHLMTfrom Florida  answered…4yrs4Y

No, Monopolies are a result of government intervention

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2 days2D

Israel Sinks Syria's Navy

Israel said Tuesday that it had destroyed Syria’s navy in overnight airstrikes, as it continued to pound targets in Syria despite warnings that its operations there could ignite new conflict and jeopardize the transition of power to an interim government.Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said that the Israeli military had “destroyed Syria’s navy overnight, and with great success.” His remarks appeared to confirm Israel’s responsibility for the destruction documented in the Syrian port city of Latakia, where photos showed the smoldering remains of ships sunk at their dock.Mr. Katz said that Israel’s military “has been operating in Syria in recent days to hit and destroy strategic capabilities that pose a threat to Israel,” although he did not indicate what new or immediate risk Syria’s navy presented to Israel, which has the most powerful military in the Middle East.Israeli warplanes have conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, according to war monitors. Israel has characterized its operations as defensive, saying its military was striking suspected chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria to prevent them from falling “into the hands of extremists.”“From here, I warn the rebel leaders in Syria: Those who follow Assad’s path will end like Assad,” Mr. Katz said.As the Assad government fell to the rebels over the weekend, Israeli ground forces advanced beyond the demilitarized zone on the Israel-Syria border, marking their first overt entry into Syrian territory in more than 50 years. An Israeli military spokesman on Tuesday denied reports that the military was advancing on Damascus. The spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said the military was inside a buffer zone between Israel and Syria and at other points “in order to protect the Israeli border.”Earlier Tuesday, Geir Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, called on Israel to halt its “very troubling” military operations there, and said de-escalation was needed. “We are continuing to see Israeli movements and bombardments into Syrian territory. This needs to stop,” Mr. Pedersen told reporters in Geneva.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…4 days4D

CEO Shooting Suspect Had Manifesto That Criticized Healthcare Companies

A man is being held for questioning in connection with last week’s killing of a health insurance executive in Midtown Manhattan, the police said.The man being questioned was identified as Luigi Mangione, 26, the police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, said at a news briefing. He was identified in a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa., after an employee recognized him and called the authorities at about 9:15 a.m. on Monday.Mr. Mangione was carrying identification with his name on it, along with fake I.D., according to law enforcement officials.Mr. Mangione showed the police the same fake New Jersey identification that the man believed to be the gunman presented when he checked into a hostel on the Upper West Side of Manhattan on Nov. 24, a senior law enforcement official saidWhen Mr. Mangione was approached in Altoona, he had a gun, a silencer and other false identification cards similar to those they believe the killer used in New York, according to one of the law enforcement officials and a person briefed on the investigation. The gun was described as possibly being a so-called ghost gun, assembled from parts purchased online.Mr. Mangione was also carrying a handwritten manifesto that criticized health care companies for putting profits above care, according to two law enforcement officials.Mr. Mangione is in custody on local charges, the official said, possibly related to presenting the fake identification to the police. He has not been arrested or charged in connection with the killing.New York police investigators are traveling to Altoona, in western Pennsylvania, about 280 miles from the city, according to one of the law enforcement officials.

▲  2011 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2 days2D

Border Bombshell: 8 Million New Arrivals Under Biden

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…14hrs14H

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▲  208 replies

 @ISIDEWITH submitted…15hrs15H

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…14hrs14H

Pete Hegseth Slams Gay Troops Policy

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▲  1810 replies