Tell me again: why is the government meddling in what food companies Amazon may and may not buy?
Welcome to fascism 101.
Congress should hold hearings to consider the potential effects of Amazon.com Inc.’s proposed purchase of Whole Food Markets, a Democratic lawmaker from Rhode Island said.
“Amazon’s proposed acquisition of Whole Foods raises important questions concerning competition policy, such as how the transaction will affect the future of retail grocery stores, whether platform dominance impedes innovation, and if the antitrust laws are working effectively to ensure economic opportunity, choice and low prices for American families,” Rep. David Cicilline wrote in a letter to the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee requesting the hearings.
Cicilline said the acquisition is part of a wave of consolidation that has “decreased wages and resulted in gross inequality in the workplace.”
Amazon’s agreement to buy the grocery retailer for $13.7 billion is expected to be completed later this year. Whole Foods would be the biggest acquisition in the e-commerce giant’s history and represents a dramatic shift in its business model from selling items online to luring shoppers into stores.