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Date Posted: 05:45:08 06/14/02 Fri
Author: Weird_Enigma
Author Host/IP: 209.252.119.2
Subject: Deregulation/survival of the fittest
In reply to: Weird_Enigma 's message, "Extreme Capitalism" on 03:03:00 05/28/02 Tue

Deregulation/survival of the fittest not working as promised. Not enough competition along with greedily provoked insane profiteers out to gouge the consumers for all their worth and then some.

Airlines now have more delays, cramped seats and uncomfortable small planes since the industry was deregulated in 1978, according to report by the nonprofit consumer advocate

Cable TV prices have risen much faster than overall inflation, consumer satisfaction Is "bottom-of-the-barrel" Bank loans cost more, fees are higher, consumer confidence is lower.

Excerpts from Consumer Reports
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/detailv2.jsp?CONTENT%3C%3Ecnt_id=157017&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=18151&bmUID=1023871321497

>Imagine Bank of America simply reneging on your "free checking for life"; Sprint signing you up for eight-times-higher phone rates; AT&T Broadband charging $44 a month for a poor-quality cable-TV signal, kiss-off customer service, and not even The Weather Channel.

Unfortunately, there's nothing imaginary about treatment like that. There are no apologies, either. Broken promises, deceptive marketing, and dreadful service have become accepted business practices in an increasingly Wild West marketplace, where incessant telemarketers interrupt your dinner but customer service won't answer the phone. <

>While consumers have made some gains under deregulation, on balance they've lost ground. Service has typically deteriorated. Consumer rights have sometimes suffered. Claimed price cuts are often not all they seem. And when free markets have gone bad, deregulated industries have seen no contradiction in getting multibillion-dollar government bailouts.<

From the full article found in the July print version of Consumer Reports on deregulation.

>Airline security was not deregulated, but airlines let it seriously deteriorate under the unwatchful eye of the Federal Aviation Administration. In 1978, airline screeners failed to detect 13 percent of dangerous objects in FAA tests. By 1987, the rate rose to 20 percent, and it went higher still for tests in 1991 through 1999, the GAO says; those test results, however, are now classified. "For all those in the know about security, what happened on 9/11 was not unexpected" says Gerald Dillingham, GAO aviation security director.<

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Replies:

  • Housing on the Back Burner -- Weird_Enigma, 05:49:42 06/14/02 Fri
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