Something To Read, For Your Brain, 10/25/2016

A couple of long-form pieces, both well worth the time they take to read:

First, this piece on Trump's populist support may be somewhat disjointed, but it makes several important and thought-provoking arguments.   

Second, this article on the use of anti-trust laws in the United States is also worthwhile, even though it may fall in the category of brain-bran (good ultimately for your mental digestive processes, not that tasty to consume). 

The Federal Trade Commission no longer seems that interested in enforcing the pro-competitive laws that still exist.  The most recent AT&T case should be compared in that respect with the forced dissolution of Mama Bell.  Someone de-fanged the anti-trust laws, and nobody is offering it any dentures.  Ultimately both consumers and workers will suffer from that.

Now, whether focusing on actual (as opposed to imaginary) competition-increasing solutions would rejuvenate the Republican Party* is a very different question.  But I believe that much stronger pro-worker and pro-consumer economic platforms are needed.

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*  Because you can't be both for the one percent and for the kind of economic policies that the working classes and the ordinary consumers of this country need.  On the other hand, the stupid campaign financing laws mean that both parties end up living in the wallets of their richest donors.  Sadly, the incumbents have little incentive to work at changing those, even though the current situation has come close to the case where every dollar has an equal vote, and because many dollars live in just a few wallets, those wallets have a lot of votes.