Biden warns of rising democracy-threatening 'oligarchy' in grim farewell speech
politico.com
politico.com
Most of my recurring expenses go to such organizations, and despite their terrible services, I have no choice but to do business with them.
I've had three different mortgages, and each time a government organization has purchased the mortgage and given Wells Fargo a commission to service it. They are effectively non-responsive to any customer service issues, because they don't need to try to retain me as a customer — they are guaranteed to get my business whether I want it or not.
That's not the worst part though; on multiple occasions they have tried to transfer my hazard insurance to another company. When they do this, I have to call my real insurance provider (USAA) and have them use their inside connections to contract Wells Fargo and remind them that I currently have an insurance provider and that I have no plans to change.
The only high-speed wired Internet provider at my address is Comcast, and they also have terrible customer service, as well as terrible reliability, but at least they don't directly try to scam me.
Even at a local level, rent seeking is really bad. I am legally required to have a specific company take my garbage to the dump, even when it's right by where I work and I could easily take it myself. If I don't sign up for pickup, they can charge me anyway, while providing absolutely no service, and if I don't pay, they can put a lien on my house, which if I refuse to pay will lead to the county auctioning off my house.
Only a few of the largest cities in the county have trash-collection service, (with the largest having a cheap city-owned trash-collection service) so in the smaller cities and most unincorporated areas there is no service. Service is only mandatory where it is available, so in much of the county service isn't mandatory. The dump is run by the county, with multiple transfer stations to cover areas far from the dump, and anyone can take their own trash there and pay by volume. The trash collection services take trash to the same locations.
The county has regulations against unsightly and dangerous property conditions that if violated can lead to fees, and unpaid fees will lead to liens. They cover general refuse, but most of them are focused on problems that trash service doesn't affect, like fire-prone vegetation, abandoned vehicles and buildings, and large tanks and containers, as these are more of a problem than general refuse. Where I live It's also legal to burn trash, when there isn't a fire risk or excess heat, although some cities in the county do prohibit it.
Also, hoarders tend to hoard, and the convenience of trash pickup service, vs the time for a dump run, isn't likely to make a difference in someone's cleanliness.