SCOTUS: Screwin' consumers today too!

[jasmeel]

Supreme Court Allows Manufacturers To Dictate Minimum Prices, Screws Consumers
http://consumerist.com/consumer/news-from-the-swamp/supreme-court-allows-manufacturers-to-dictate-minimum-prices-screws-consumers-273268.php

"The Supreme Court ruled today in Leegin v. PSKS that manufacturers can collude with retailers to set the minimum prices of products, arguing that such a decision was good for competition. Succumbing to the court's recent bender of conservatism is a 96 year-old precedent from Dr. Miles v Park that held minimum price accords as intrinsically - or in legalese, "per se" - illegal. Writing for the majority, swing-Justice Anthony Kennedy showed kiddies the dangers of taking crazy pills:

Minimum price agreements can benefit consumers, Kennedy wrote, by enabling retailers to invest in greater customer service without fear of being undercut by discount rivals. The agreements also could make it easier for new products to compete, he added, because a retailer could recoup the costs of marketing a new good by charging a higher price.

Pardon us for scoffing at the notion that Best Buy might "invest in greater customer service" now that they can work with manufacturers to screw consumers out of an additional $20 for a DVD player. Or as Justice Stevens put it slightly more eloquently in his dissent, "The only safe predictions to make about today's decision are that it will likely raise the price of goods at retail.''

Under the old system, manufacturers could send pricing signals to retailers by way of a Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP,) though retailers were free to compete by selling products below MSRP. Under the new system, championed by Justices who promised to respect stare decisis at their confirmation hearings, manufacturers can now use resale price maintenance (RPM) agreements to ban retailers from offering discounts."

[librechik]

1. I know, this is terrible! Turning back the clock to the Gilded Age!

Crap, more work for congress to do writing laws around this... (I hope)

[FormerDittoHead]

2. I won't hold my breath for retailers to "invest in greater customer service".... n/t

[ljm2002]

3. Okay, I'm not a cartoonist, but here's an idea...

...In the first frame(s) you have Alito and Roberts holding their hand on a Bible and swearing their adherence to the principle of stare decisis (using their words at the actual hearings if possible); in the next frame(s) show them tossing a bowling ball towards a bunch of pins that are labeled as the cases they've decided this term that overturn established decisions.

Anyone who wants to steal the idea please do so. Just a thought.