However the entire abanding of the social safety net is something that only very stupid civilizations do.
All or nothing right? Black or White? No Shades of grey ever.
Government mandating, and then extracting, and then deciding who is worthy of a "social net" has bankrupted more lives than it has saved. There is no way a BIG FAT government can decide if a person is deserving, so they do mass selections that include people that are not, while at the same time exclude others that are.
So the path of Social Services is a slowly spiraling death trap of destruction of willpower into dependance.
Broadcast is a great example of something that has lived past its industrial age lifetime. I rarely get my news from MSM/MassMedia. The internet has broken broadcast, Disney, TWC/Comcast etc are ALL in serious trouble if they continue to fight for maintaining the status quo.
Monster Cable DOES offer perceived value, and to be honest, it does offer a standard quality product (over priced). Having ordered cheap knockoff crap cables, that do not work, is not a value proposition. There is something to be said for "trust".
Very few cables are worth the money they are set at
This is probably true. I used to sell computers back in the day (early 90s) and I made more money (commission) on a $14.99 Cable than I did on the $500 printer it was attached to. Profit on those cables, $14.49, the printer, $4-5. People shop for value on expensive items, but pay no attention to the $14.50 markup on a $14.99 cable. You make money where you can.