this post was submitted on 12 Feb 2024
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[–] Wooster@startrek.website 56 points 11 months ago (5 children)

Article mentions nothing with regards to holding corporations accountable nor any plan or threat of action on the president’s part.

[–] Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg 27 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

These kinds of comments frustrate me... They fundamentally conflate the presidency with a more king-like position.

The system is setup against him doing anything other than speaking out about the issue and trying to motivate others to do something about it. The president ultimately has little power ... it's more of a oversight/cheer leading position (with some extended powers over the years to deal with imminent issues -- e.g., authorize short term military operations, which is still scary in the wrong hands) while congress is the office workers that are supposed to actually get the law writing done.

Unfortunately, we've had roughly a decade of Republican lead stagnation due to slim majority Democrat representation or outright majority Republican representation -- the Republican platform is after all the "do nothing because more government is bad" platform.

He's doing exactly what he should be doing, using the office to call people out and bring attention to issues/start conversations. That can result in brands either going "... lets make a voluntary change to get the heat off" or the public going "yeah that's a good point calls congressional rep to complain."

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago

Well put!

The president ultimately has little power … it’s more of a oversight/cheer leading position

And let me emphasize this is a good thing, even if the previous officeholder ignored legal restrictions on his power

[–] Blackbeard@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)
[–] Fisk400@feddit.nu 19 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Make it expensive to change the weight of a product. Standardize the size and weight of a given type of product. Require the packaging to alert consumers that the weight have changed in the last year and how much it has changed. Tie the trademark of a given product to a certain weight.

Are these good ideas? I don't know, I literally made them up just now while shitting. I am sure the president of the United States could hire at least one dude to come up with better ones.

[–] Blackbeard@lemmy.world 14 points 11 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

All great ideas if it weren't for the fact that we have a court system heavily weighted towards pro-corporate conservatism, so none of that would survive legal challenges and there would be a shit ton of corporate challenges.

[–] Tolookah@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Food in general doesn't even go through the FDA, does it? They only get involved if there's a problem. If it was pre approval, it would be a super slow process likely.

Edit: my train of thought was if it needed approval, any size changes would go to a slow line, but in reality, any small company would go to slow lines also, which would truly suck.

[–] Tremble@sh.itjust.works 0 points 11 months ago

I hope your bowl movement went well

[–] ZeroCool@slrpnk.net 0 points 11 months ago

What are you suggesting he do about it?

Oh don’t expect an answer from that OP. They’re here to blame Biden. It doesn’t matter if there’s anything he can actually do about the issue.

[–] ShepherdPie@midwest.social 1 points 11 months ago

It's all about lip service. Neither party really gives a shit about the American public.

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe -4 points 11 months ago

Of course it doesn't. They probably don't have any actual plan to enforce laws. 🤦

I can't wait until I become High Galactic Overlord of this planet so I can boot those motherfuckers off of a cliff.

[–] mindlight@lemm.ee 28 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

If politicians were serious in their criticism they would vote for laws forcing comparison price to be displayed next to the purchase price.

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 9 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Require that $/oz is always displayed in equal size as the per package price.

[–] mindlight@lemm.ee 2 points 11 months ago

That's what I meant with "comparison price".

[–] pinkdrunkenelephants@lemmy.cafe 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Or just enforce price controls

[–] Blackbeard@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] Morgoon@startrek.website -1 points 11 months ago (2 children)

That has never stopped presidents before. In response to inflation in 1971 President Nixon issued an executive order making it illegal to raise prices for several months and before him FDR went even farther with rationing and controlling wages.

Inflation is actually super easy to control. You just need to be willing to threaten business leaders with serious jail time.

[–] iopq@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago

Yes, and we see how that worked. The inflation in the 1970s was crazy

[–] Blackbeard@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)
[–] Morgoon@startrek.website -2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Well TIL, I always thought that executive orders were a way to bypass Congress. I know that there was a Democratic Congress in 1971, I wonder why they rubber stamped that for Nixon.

[–] Blackbeard@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 23 points 11 months ago (2 children)

My opinion is regulate it so any shrinking has to be marked in large bold caps lettering NOW X% SMALLER for at least 1 year. Then people might actually stop buying shrunken goods and opt for a competitor.

[–] Xabis@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago (1 children)

That won’t solve ingredient swaps.

[–] ProfessorScience@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

It'd be better than nothing, though

[–] Serinus@lemmy.world 0 points 11 months ago

Oh, I'm still offering the old size product. It's just less efficient and profitable than our completely new, slightly smaller size.

[–] BritishDuffer@lemmy.world 16 points 11 months ago

Stop! Or I'll say stop again!

[–] LocoOhNo@lemmus.org 10 points 11 months ago

I was talking to a friend recently and mentioned that Lil Debbie Fudge Rounds used to be the same diameter as the "Double Decker" ones.

Now they're smaller than the diameter of an air hockey puck. And don't even get me started on how regular Oreo Cookies used to look like the double stuff Oreos. The gall to cut the product in half, add the other half back to it, then charge more and have the balls to call it "double..."

[–] Smacks@lemmy.world 10 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Did he say anything about actually doing something about it? Some-sort of shrinkflation law or something?

[–] Maggoty@lemmy.world 2 points 11 months ago

I'm happy to just see him talking about anything other than green line go up.

[–] buzz86us@lemmy.world 6 points 11 months ago

I wouldn't mind a reduction in plastic packaging if I could get a few more snacks.

[–] ohlaph@lemmy.world 5 points 11 months ago

I basically reduced my snack intake by about 75%. It is almost to expensive to snack now.

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 5 points 11 months ago

90% of the snacks I buy are the store brand. Particularly, Walmart since it's the cheapest place to get foodstuffs here. So far, while all the big names have visibility shrunk in size and value, the store brands have remained the same while just continuing to grow in value compared to the other brands that are giving you less for more.

[–] AFaithfulNihilist@lemmy.world 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

At what point during the shrink does the packaging cost more than the single serving of potatoe chip fumes?

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 4 points 11 months ago

As President should do something about the tiny size of Pringles in Australia, which are a sad shadow of their former glory now.