Quote:
Originally Posted by darryl
I've just had a brief look at the 24 page "position paper". I don't propose to waste any more of my time on it, and i imagine the DOJ will probably feel the same way. It demonstrates the same level of intellectual rigour and respect for the truth as the previous pathetic efforts of this group. I am amazed that a group of successful writers is unable to come up with anything better. Perhaps some fiction writers sometimes get so caught up in worlds of their own creation that they forget that their omnipotence in their own fictional worlds does not extend to the real world, in which others must be persuaded by arguments based on at least some reasonable level of logic and fact.
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ARG! Congress, books are so important (as opposed to energy, Iran getting nukes, etc.) that you must make sure your constituents pay more so our industry is healthy.
ARG! Amazon is deciding which books are offered, as opposed to BHP, which have a long history of exclusivity. Instead of Amazon, I should have to hire an agent, who has to shop my book to BHP, and they can decide.
ARG! Please help us-people are choosing to watch movies instead of read books!
ARG! Amazon should act objectively, like Fox News.
ARG! Target, Walmart and Apple, charitable organizations, are being hurt by Amazon.
ARG! Apple, who charges a ridiculous price for its phones, such that people are mugged and even killed for their iPhone, should be ignored, and you were big meanies to go after them, and us, in the first place.
ARG! You have to decide which format endures-just like you did with Betamax and VCR. Like Betamax, ours is better, and should be declared the winner.
Now, there is one issue that could be a problem. If Amazon is using the price of books as a loss leader, with the intent of driving competitors out of business, it is a violation. But, is Amazon doing that, or offering books as a loss leader to get people "in the store" to buy other things, like grocery stores and paper towels? Unfortunately, Target and Walmart have the same prices on books as Amazon, for the same reason. Yes, Walmart already killed Mom and Pop stores--where was the Justice Department? Did it decide the greater good of making sure all that crap Walmart sells was available to Farmer John was more important that making sure Mom and Pop remained in business and were able to sell what they decided Farmer John should buy?
DOJ has bigger fish to fry-Banks, voting rights, etc. This is laughable. But very aspirational. It reads like a high school valedictorian speech.