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FTC sues Deere, alleging equipment repair 'monopoly' raises costs for farmers (www.cnbc.com)

submitted 2 days ago by MicroWave to c/economics

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Summary

The FTC, joined by Illinois and Minnesota, has sued Deere & Company, alleging the agricultural equipment giant monopolizes repair services by restricting access to necessary tools.

This forces farmers to rely on authorized dealers, raising repair costs and causing delays.

The FTC argues Deere's practices harm farmers by limiting competition and driving up expenses through Deere-branded parts.

The lawsuit seeks to ensure farmers and independent shops have access to repair resources.

Filed in Biden’s final days, its future under Trump’s administration remains uncertain.

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

there has to be something godamnit. We have computers in every pocket.

So I read this book and basically it's of the opinion that democracy is limited by the efficiency of the technologies it's built upon (human representatives and paper ballots – ie. low bandwidth, passive forms of representation), and those are currently stuck in the 19th century, in all global democracies. The authors suggest that upgrading democracy to achieve the same goals but with modern technologies would make for a much more responsive and fine-graned link between people and government. (especially in the chapter on augmented deliberation)

[–] whostosay 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Holy shit. This may be the most spot on recommendation based on something I've said* that* I've* ever come across. Thank you. Will be reading this.

Edits because this used to not be an actual sentence

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Ikr?? I was also always convinced there must be some kind of alternative to techno-dystopia

[–] whostosay 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Well done chap, did you enjoy the book? I just ordered it so I'll find out, but I figured I'd ask anyway

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Yup! It's quite long but it's written with skipping in mind. I think its main value for me is that it has references to a ton of interesting fledgeling projects (many of which I plan to have a deeper look at) in one place and tries to connect them into some sort of unifying vision. I also made myself a ton of comments that I wish I could share somehow.