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cleake · 2 years

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Hugging the egos

Engineer:

-He doesn’t have too much time for affection, he has a job to do

-But when he can take a break, he loves to be with you, talk with you, sit with you, maybe put his head on your shoulder :)

-You can hug him whenever you want, if you want a hug all you have to do is ask him for one

-He’ll wrap his hands around your neck, or put them on your back

-He’ll stroke your hair, nuzzle his nose in the crook of your neck with a big smile on his face

-He’s so happy to hug you, he loves to have you in his embrace, and likes to touch you occasionally, stroking your hand while walking together, putting his hand on your shoulder

-When you’re nervous he’ll offer your a hug, he wants you to feel good

-He’s warm, smells like fresh laundry, and is so fluffy

-He’s a little shy when you hug him unexpectedly, but appreciates it so much

Yancy:

-He doesn’t get to hug people, and almost forgot how it feels

-You have to hug him first, and he’ll be so shocked, and confused

-But in a good way :)

-He’ll slowly get to it, putting his hands on your back, his head on your shoulder

-He missed this warm feeling, and almost started crying because of how good he felt with you close to him

-Stroke his hair and he’ll melt, hiding his face in your shoulder with read ears

-He’s tough but hugging him feels warm

-After that he’ll be more comfortable with hugs and ask for them more

-His hugs are slow, delicate

-He loves to put his head on yours while hugging

Dark:

-Hugs? What’s that?

-At first hugs are a big no, but you have to be patient with him and not pushy, that’s all

-To warm him up at first give him little touches on his hand, head, shoulder, side

-That will be new to him, but if it’s delicate and almost nonexistent he’ll be comfortable with it more

-When you hug him he doesn’t know what to do, where to put his hands, how to react

-You have to believe his small touches towards you, they mean a lot more than they look

-A lot of time has to pass for him to get used to your affection, but he’ll repay you

-His hugs are very soft, but full, he likes to wrap himself around you, but not to much to not make uncomfortable

-He doesn’t hug you often, but when he does they are long and meaningful

-Give him time, that’s all :)

Actor:

-The diva will make every hug memorable

-They are thigh, warm

-He likes to wrap his hands around your torso, holding your hand

-He’ll let you put your head on his shoulder, while he strokes your hair

-Maybe will give you a kiss? On forehead? On your hand?

-He likes to swing while hugging, humming softly, he’s happy :)

-He likes to hug you from behind as a surprise, he likes your little jumps, but will repay you with kiss on your head

-He’s charming, but sometimes too much

Illinois:

-Well he is a flirt, but physically affection is not so familiar to him

-He appreciates the love you give him, it’s just new for him

-He’s very delicate, he’ll softly hold your hand, enjoying the moment

-He likes to put his hand on your shoulder after difficult adventure, and give you a comforting hug

-While breaks he and you talk, admiring the treasure you found, he’ll put his head on your chest, resting and enjoying the silence

-He’s very casual with physical affection, it’s a normal thing for him, and won’t make a big fuss about it

-He’ll hold your hand when he wants, and will just smile at you with an ease, it’s just normal to him when he gets to it

-Enjoys when you hug him from behind 💓

Damien:

-He’s very happy when you hug him, he himself won’t do it much, at least not in the public, he’s the mayor after all

-But if you need one he’ll won’t hesitate

-His hugs are soft always noting every thing he does

-He doesn’t get hugs, so is kinda new to him

-But every time he gets a hug from you, he just hides himself in your arms

-He’s stressed out and needs a break, your hugs are helping him with his nerves

-Always thanks for your hugs with a shy smile

-He’s too shy to ask for a hug himself but you can see when he wants one

-He’ll softly brush his fingertips on your hand, or put his head on your shoulder

Wilford:

-He’s a energetic guy, his hugs will be almost crushing you

-He doesn’t get hugs a lot, but loves them, and if there’s a chance to hug you, he will!

-You’re sitting alone? He’ll come up to you and hug you just to despair again, you’re standing alone for too long? He’ll hug you and bring something for you to drink

-He likes hugs, he likes giving them

-May kiss your nose, or shoulder before leaving you from the hug

-He’s sweet, even though sometimes forgets he has a gun in his hand, just be careful when he’s hugging you with one in hand

- I enjoy writing these headcanons, if you have any ideas, please share them with me :)

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scrollsofhumanlife · 4 months

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Annette Hardy (left) with a loved 1

Born September 13th 1950 in Laurel, Mississippi

Bloomington, Illinois

#Annette Hardy #Laurel #Mississippi #Chicago #Bloomington #Illinois #mother #wife #beloved aunt and sister #founding member of the Bronze Ladies of Chicago #hearing officer #may she rest in peace #<3

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lesbicosmos · 1 year

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welcome back to

sims!dpsblr prom (part 2)

(part 1)

so i was just checking on everyone else, came back into the basement and these two are in love @73647e @average-joseph

meanwhile...

me and eight are being besties @latin-8-o-clock-my-room

fizzy and phobos danced themselves to sleep @fizzy-watches-dps @phobos-deimos-cosmos

and gail's befriending ginny @chrisginny

AND THESE TWO ARE STILL-

anyway gail and i started a band <33

we quickly gained two more members

and an audience!!! @cowboylexapro

and then...yeah we all fell asleep everything was too much

#thank you for coming to this amazing once in a lifetime event #the band is called Mental Illinois #credits to zombie for the name #anyway im gonna go ACTUALLY sleep now #i have an exam tomorrow #but this was more important <3 #dps #dps fandom #dead poets society #dps sims #ginny danburry #mutuals my beloved

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pentimint · 28 days

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my tags within tags didn't show up there so i repeat myself: another win for Casimir Pulsaki #LOCALHERO #INTERSEXICON #DIED

#blah blah #one of the most beloved respected war heroes here is a weirdo freak polish cavalryman noble who was intersex and ate shit immediately #and sufjan stevens wrote a song about him. illinois 🤝 savannah Yaay casimir yay #AUTHOR'S NOTE: as always we don't know what his gender or sex situation was like we don't know. we don't know. something was up though

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rhubarbtriangle · 4 months

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sufjan stevens is knocking down walls and building a massive extension onto his room in my mind palace atm . creating something of a banquet hall with a large gallery attached through which one might stroll

#illinois has had permanent residence for many years #but he’s so prolific and insane there’s so MUCH #hence the banquet/feast vibes #age of adz my newly and forever beloved #sufjan stevens #music

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lounaticm · 6 months

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So I've been massively obsessed with listening to FNAF songs lately I'm definitely very mentally well about it, ah. anywAYYY

Music headcanons about what the egos listen to??? 😁 Feel free to do as many as you want to, but I'm most curious about Murdock, Illinois, engineer Mark, and Wilford. (Also, I have some idea of what's in ur brain with Dark, but any more details would be welcome~) (Also also, Y a n c y)

Murdock - Industrial and Aggrotech are his shit, but also very much into Power Metal and Rock, the heavier the better. Appreciates Classical and Jazz, though prefers songs that sound more brooding and ominous in both cases.

Illinois - Definitely listens to and enjoys all sorts of cultural folk songs and the like native to the places he visits in his travels. Indie, Blues, and Jazz round out his typical tastes. People who don't know him tend to assume he'll like Country music, but he can't say he cares much for it.

Wilford - Disco is a very obvious choice here and it is true, but Wilford's been around for quite a while and has an appreciation for pretty much all types of music. He does, however, have quite a strong fondness specifically for Electroswing.

Engineer - Listens to a lot of sub-genres of Electronic and EDM. Like Wilford, a big fan of Electroswing, and also likes Chiptune a lot. Will put on heavier music like Industrial when he's angry or frustrated and trying to work something out. If he gets too strung out, though, he'll find some sort of rain or - especially after the Wormhole Incident - heartbeat ambience to put on and go decompress. Preferably with the Captain nearby.

Yancy - Musicals is really on the nose but also so very apt. Also Rock'n'Roll, Rockabilly, and Doo-wop, considering the whole 'greaser' vibes he's got. Also likes some sub-genres of Rock and Alternative. Doesn't actively dislike any genre of music, even if it's something that isn't to his tastes. Boy just loves music too much.

Damien/Dark - Classical, Oldies, and some Blues and Jazz are all very obvious and fitting picks (all moony and lovesick), but only very close friends and family know that he also adores Metal, with Symphonic Metal being his favorite of the genre. You'd be hard-pressed to catch him listening to it, though, especially after the events of the Party. It reminds him a little too much of a certain someone who used to listen to and play it with him...

Bonus (cause his music taste jumped out at me):

Bing - Vaporwave and Chiptune are his favorites, but he likes almost all kinds of Electronic and EDM. Always surprises people when they find him listening to Industrial music and its sub-genres, of which Dark Electro is his go-to.

[Partially me projecting really hard here, partially honestly striking me as making sense, but I can see pretty much all the Egos enjoying Post Rock. Some more than others, and some only when they want something to help them wind down, but still.]

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strawberrybabydog · 2 years

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reminder that if u d0n4t3 to my k0-f1, you can get a “pay what you can, get whatever you want” small pixel art commission

#idk how to justify this i need like 20USD so i can fill my posic void #one of my very beloved childhood companions has gone missing. tore up the house looking for her #spent all day doing it and destroyed my legs in the process #and shes just. gone. its all i can think about right now #i dont expect non-posics to understand this at all im just like. mourning almost. but #i found another one for 30CAD which is a lot and i have like nothing in my p4yp4ll right now #but i just. i just. ugh.#anyways #sorry for fucking ebegging for something so dumb LMAO me when i have da menthol illinois #commissions #not dog #personal

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cleake · 2 years

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Dancing with the egos

Engineer:

The song - Thus Always To Tyrants https://youtu.be/ChVV5EVL4W4

-He’s very happy to dance with you, even if he’s not the best at it

-He doesn’t really have time for dancing, he’s very busy with the ship and everyone inside it, he’s the head engineer, after all!

-But when you, his Captain offer a dance, he can’t decline, it’s a break for both of you from everything outside

-He’s going to try his best to not look funny, kinda nervous at the beginning, but you loose him up by doing some dumb things yourself for him

-A lot of laughs, you both hold hands and spin around each other, you both feel happy and free with one another

-You hold hands all the time, jumping together, spinning and swinging together

-Mark looks at you with happiness in his eyes, he loves how much you do for him, even those stupid and dumb things matter to him

-When you get closer Marks eyes , focused on you, soften with love and appreciation, how much he wanted this moment to last forever

-But he knew it will not, soon you both will go to your jobs

-With last notes of music in the air Mark looks at you with a smile

-“Would you want to do it again, some other time?”

Yancy:

The song - Je Te Laisserai Des Mots https://youtu.be/mcdO9UP0hp8

-He’s in love with music, dancing and theatre art in general, even if he doesn’t look like it

-In prison there’s not a lot of opportunities to have a pleasure of dancing without others looking at you a bit weirdly

-Yancy likes to dance a lot, but doesn’t do it in front others that much so when you ask him for a dance he’s a little hesitant at first

-But he gives in, he can’t resist it

-Yancy can do a lot of different kinds of dances styles, but for your comfort he chooses a slow dance, something nice and relaxing, he needs some peace

-He holds you close but not too close to not make you uncomfortable, he looks at you with a smile on his face

-Both of you hold hands, one pair higher then the other one, swinging and pacing in circles together

-Yancy is so happy because of this, he’s happy to dance, especially with you

-Everything is at peace, none of you cares of others but yourselves

-At the end Yancy will spin you around and smile at you, nodding softly

-“Youse is a good dancer, we should do it more often, if youse want to”

Dark:

The piece - Pas De Deux https://youtu.be/LP_us9dTj5g

-Dark spend a lot of time alone, with no other human connection, no one to talk to, to touch and feel together at peace

-He started to hate everything that included other people, so dancing is a struggle for him

-But he likes music, especially classical music, it calms him and brings some comfort, sometimes he hums to himself tunes of his favorite pieces

-When you reach out to him and ask for a dance he’s more than uncomfortable, but your charm and kindness pressure him on agreeing

-His choice of music is for his comfort mainly, but he also wants to spend more time with you, to feel together with you

-He’s elegant, distant and professional, he’s leading you, spinning you around and leading you in specific directions

-After some time he’ll loosen up and be more confident in his movements, maybe a smile will appear on his lips

-He pulls you closer to him after one of spins and looks at you, admiring every inch of your face, swinging a little bit

-Holding hands together and joining your fingers together Dark puts his chin on your shoulder and closes his eyes, music starting to fade away

-“This moment is what I needed for so long”

Actor:

The piece - Once Upon A December https://youtu.be/NPw0EAXu-bY

-The charmer, he’s an excellent dancer, you can’t deny it

-He loves to show off, especially in front of you, he needs your validation and affection

-He is the one to offer dance, with his boldness within him

-He holds you close to him, one hand in yours the other on your waist, he leads you, sometimes dropping you in one direction, still holding your hand and spinning you back to him

-He makes you bring yourself even closer to him, your chest meeting his, you can feel his heart beating

-He waltz’s with you in slow manner, sometimes spinning you and leaning close to him

-His eyes watch you, taking your every move in, he doesn’t want to miss anything

-He danced with a lot of people, but you made it more special for him, more intimate and delicate, nothing forced or fake

-Your every move was so satisfying for him, even if you aren’t the best dancer in the world, he sees you as one

-He feels almost shy because of your perfection, he can’t believe it

-He ends the dance leaving a light brush of his lips on your hand

-“I haven't met such a good dancer in a long time”

Illinois:

The song - Apocalypse https://youtu.be/GGfWuK-fZYM

-You want to dance with him, hmm? Oh he knows his charm is working on you

-He’s more than happy to accept your offer

-He takes your hand in his and puts his other on your back, pulling you closer to him

-With a smile he begins to swing with you, pacing around in circles

-He’s very slow but present in the moment, his movements getting you both closer and closer to each other

-He delicately spins you around to meet again with your eyes, his hand brought up to meet your cheek with his fingers

-Every step is slow and almost non exiting, you both end up swinging in one place, just being with one another

-Illinois is entirely yours in this moment, and only you exist for him now, no one else matters

-He can’t help but put his head on your shoulder, feeling your nice warmth

-He ends with a smirk and wink towards you

-“Maybe we should do this more often”

Damain:

The piece - The Swan https://youtu.be/Al6EZm6Bf3c

-He’s so delicate, his every touch feels so lightly and almost unreal

-From the beginning, taking your hand his fingers wrap around your wrist almost not touching your skin

-He asks for permission to put his hand on your back, his other hand holding yours higher

-He’s an amazing dancer, very detailed and free, he with no problem leads you around the room, making you feel light as a feather

-After spinning you he meets your eyes with a smile, meanwhile dancing he’ll ask some questions and talk with you occasionally

-He’s very patient, his hands holding you so softly, it feels so nice when he holds your hand

-He takes every moment of this dance for himself, he wants to remember it for a long time

-You look so perfect to him, so peaceful and elegant, he can’t believe you’re real

-He bows at you at the end

-“It was a pleasure to dance with you”

Wilford:

The song - Let’s Groove https://youtu.be/SUvMQrTvnvo

-Oh he’s perfect, have you seen him dance?

-This man can do anything and will if he wants to and he wants to dance with you

-He is very lively so you may be a little ashamed of yourself because Wil is so confident

-Don’t worry, he’s gonna help you with everything

-He’ll start by holding your hand and doing little moves, nothing special, and encourage you to do the same

-After some time, when you feel more comfortable he’ll move more getting to himself, walking behind you and peeking through your shoulder at your face

-He’ll hold your hand, spinning you lightly, sometimes he’ll get closer to you and put his hand on your back swinging with you

-He’ll move away from you to get closer again while moving his shoulders and legs

-He’ll get behind you, holding your hands

-He wants you to have a good time, to enjoy it, he’s enjoying it very much!

-“Wasn’t that fun, eh friend? Let’s do it again!”

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gatorsnot · 1 year

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nobody talk to me imma be doing shots tonight

#dawn speaks #got these at a cracker barrel in illinois!#i might try the bazooka one first because bubblegum my beloved

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scrollsofhumanlife · 4 months

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Annette Hardy

Born September 13th 1950 in Laurel, Mississippi

Bloomington, Illinois

#Annette Hardy #Laurel #Mississippi #Chicago #Bloomington #Illinois #mother #wife #beloved aunt and sister #founding member of the Bronze Ladies of Chicago #hearing officer #may she rest in peace #<3

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waterbearable · 1 year

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yknow its never a bad time to rewatch parasite.

#ari speaks #beloved cinema.#when i pulled it up on hulu i forgot that it would already have the english subtitles on #so when i just saw 'subtitles-spanish' i was fully abt to commit to watching this korean movie while trying to read the spanish.#(i am okay at spanish. not as good as i used to be).#i just wanted to watch parasite. that bad. anyway it is as good as i remember if not better #also. the little mnemonic ditty that ki-jung and ki-woo is such a good auditory bite. lives in my head Constantly.#jessica only child illinois chicago classmate of kim jinmo he's your cousin (except. not in english. you know.)#ANYWAY. thats it.#watch parasite again. i command it.

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andyridgeley · 2 years

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If you could decide any bcs universe sequel/prequel to be made, no holds barred, what would you pick?

literally the only thing i can think of is something silly which would be a bcs prequel that follows nacho but it's like a mockumentary but only nacho has little interviews and the craziness he has to deal with everyday and he's like "do you see, do you understand, i gotta stop these salamancas" and he gives looks to the camera like when tuco beats a guy up cause he "stepped on a crack and broke my mothers back" and "thats disrespectful"

#nacho my beloved<3 #or like prequel prequel slippin jimmy in illinois alksdjflkajsdf #fare thee ask

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mostlysignssomeportents · 1 month

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Antitrust is a labor issue

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me SATURDAY (Apr 27) in MARIN COUNTY, then Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

This is huge: yesterday, the FTC finalized a rule banning noncompete agreements for every American worker. That means that the person working the register at a Wendy's can switch to the fry-trap at McD's for an extra $0.25/hour, without their boss suing them:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/04/ftc-announces-rule-banning-noncompetes

The median worker laboring under a noncompete is a fast-food worker making close to minimum wage. You know who doesn't have to worry about noncompetes? High tech workers in Silicon Valley, because California already banned noncompetes, as did Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia and Washington.

The fact that the country's largest economies, encompassing the most "knowledge-intensive" industries, could operate without shitty bosses being able to shackle their best workers to their stupid workplaces for years after those workers told them to shove it shows you what a goddamned lie noncompetes are based on. The idea that companies can't raise capital or thrive if their know-how can walk out the door, secreted away in the skulls of their ungrateful workers, is bullshit:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/02/02/its-the-economy-stupid/#neofeudal

Remember when OpenAI's board briefly fired founder Sam Altman and Microsoft offered to hire him and 700 of his techies? If "noncompetes block investments" was true, you'd think they'd have a hard time raising money, but no, they're still pulling in billions in investor capital (primarily from Microsoft itself!). This is likewise true of Anthropic, the company's major rival, which was founded by (wait for it), two former OpenAI employees.

Indeed, Silicon Valley couldn't have come into existence without California's ban on noncompetes – the first silicon company, Shockley Semiconductors, was founded by a malignant, delusional eugenicist who also couldn't manage a lemonade stand. His eight most senior employees (the "Traitorous Eight") quit his shitty company to found Fairchild Semiconductor, a rather successful chip shop – but not nearly so successful as the company that two of Fairchild's top employees founded after they quit: Intel:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/24/the-traitorous-eight-and-the-battle-of-germanium-valley/

Likewise a lie: the tale that noncompetes raise wages. This theory – beloved of people whose skulls are so filled with Efficient Market Hypothesis Brain-Worms that they've got worms dangling out of their nostrils and eye-sockets – holds that the right to sign a noncompete is an asset that workers can trade to their employers in exchange for better pay. This is absolutely true, provided you ignore reality.

Remember: the median noncompete-bound worker is a fast food employee making near minimum wage. The major application of noncompetes is preventing that worker from getting a raise from a rival fast-food franchisee. Those workers are losing wages due to noncompetes. Meanwhile, the highest paid workers in the country are all clustered in a a couple of cities in northern California, pulling down sky-high salaries in a state where noncompetes have been illegal since the gold rush.

If a capitalist wants to retain their workers, they can compete. Offer your workers get better treatment and better wages. That's how capitalism's alchemy is supposed to work: competition transmogrifies the base metal of a capitalist's greed into the noble gold of public benefit by making success contingent on offering better products to your customers than your rivals – and better jobs to your workers than those rivals are willing to pay. However, capitalists hate capitalism:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/18/in-extremis-veritas/#the-winnah

Capitalists hate capitalism so much that they're suing the FTC, in MAGA's beloved Fifth Circuit, before a Trump-appointed judge. The case was brought by Trump's financial advisors, Ryan LLC, who are using it to drum up business from corporations that hate Biden's new taxes on the wealthy and stepped up IRS enforcement on rich tax-cheats.

Will they win? It's hard to say. Despite what you may have heard, the case against the FTC order is very weak, as Matt Stoller explains here:

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/ftc-enrages-corporate-america-by

The FTC's statutory authority to block noncompetes comes from Section 5 of the FTC Act, which bans "unfair methods of competition" (hard to imagine a less fair method than indenturing your workers). Section 6(g) of the Act lets the FTC make rules to enforce Section 5's ban on unfairness. Both are good law – 6(g) has been used many times (26 times in the five years from 1968-73 alone!).

The DC Circuit court upheld the FTC's right to "promulgate rules defining the meaning of the statutory standards of the illegality the Commission is empowered to prevent" in 1973, and in 1974, Congress changed the FTC Act, but left this rulemaking power intact.

The lawyer suing the FTC – Anton Scalia's larvum, a pismire named Eugene Scalia – has some wild theories as to why none of this matters. He says that because the law hasn't been enforced since the ancient days of the (checks notes) 1970s, it no longer applies. He says that the mountain of precedent supporting the FTC's authority "hasn't aged well." He says that other antitrust statutes don't work the same as the FTC Act. Finally, he says that this rule is a big economic move and that it should be up to Congress to make it.

Stoller makes short work of these arguments. The thing that tells you whether a law is good is its text and precedent, "not whether a lawyer thinks a precedent is old and bad." Likewise, the fact that other antitrust laws is irrelevant "because, well, they are other antitrust laws, not this antitrust law." And as to whether this is Congress's job because it's economically significant, "so what?" Congress gave the FTC this power.

Now, none of this matters if the Supreme Court strikes down the rule, and what's more, if they do, they might also neuter the FTC's rulemaking power in the bargain. But again: so what? How is it better for the FTC to do nothing, and preserve a power that it never uses, than it is for the Commission to free the 35-40 million American workers whose bosses get to use the US court system to force them to do a job they hate?

The FTC's rule doesn't just ban noncompetes – it also bans TRAPs ("training repayment agreement provisions"), which require employees to pay their bosses thousands of dollars if they quit, get laid off, or are fired:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/08/04/its-a-trap/#a-little-on-the-nose

The FTC's job is to protect Americans from businesses that cheat. This is them, doing their job. If the Supreme Court strikes this down, it further delegitimizes the court, and spells out exactly who the GOP works for.

This is part of the long history of antitrust and labor. From its earliest days, antitrust law was "aimed at dollars, not men" – in other words, antitrust law was always designed to smash corporate power in order to protect workers. But over and over again, the courts refused to believe that Congress truly wanted American workers to get legal protection from the wealthy predators who had fastened their mouth-parts on those workers' throats. So over and over – and over and over – Congress passed new antitrust laws that clarified the purpose of antitrust, using words so small that even federal judges could understand them:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/04/14/aiming-at-dollars/#not-men

After decades of comatose inaction, Biden's FTC has restored its role as a protector of labor, explicitly tackling competition through a worker protection lens. This week, the Commission blocked the merger of Capri Holdings and Tapestry Inc, a pair of giant conglomerates that have, between them, bought up nearly every "affordable luxury" brand (Versace, Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Kate Spade, Coach, Stuart Weitzman, etc).

You may not care about "affordable luxury" handbags, but you should care about the basis on which the FTC blocked this merger. As David Dayen explains for The American Prospect: 33,000 workers employed by these two companies would lose the wage-competition that drives them to pay skilled sales-clerks more to cross the mall floor and switch stores:

https://prospect.org/economy/2024-04-24-challenge-fashion-merger-new-antitrust-philosophy/

In other words, the FTC is blocking a $8.5b merger that would turn an oligopoly into a monopoly explicitly to protect workers from the power of bosses to suppress their wages. What's more, the vote was unanimous, include the Commission's freshly appointed (and frankly, pretty terrible) Republican commissioners:

https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2024/04/ftc-moves-block-tapestrys-acquisition-capri

A lot of people are (understandably) worried that if Biden doesn't survive the coming election that the raft of excellent rules enacted by his agencies will die along with his presidency. Here we have evidence that the Biden administration's anti-corporate agenda has become institutionalized, acquiring a bipartisan durability.

And while there hasn't been a lot of press about that anti-corporate agenda, it's pretty goddamned huge. Back in 2021, Tim Wu (then working in the White wrote an executive order on competition that identified 72 actions the agencies could take to blunt the power of corporations to harm everyday Americans:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/08/party-its-1979-og-antitrust-back-baby

Biden's agency heads took that plan and ran with it, demonstrating the revolutionary power of technical administrative competence and proving that being good at your job is praxis:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/18/administrative-competence/#i-know-stuff

In just the past week, there's been a storm of astoundingly good new rules finalized by the agencies:

A minimum staffing ratio for nursing homes;

The founding of the American Climate Corps;

A guarantee of overtime benefits;

A ban on financial advisors cheating retirement savers;

Medical privacy rules that protect out-of-state abortions;

A ban on junk fees in mortgage servicing;

Conservation for 13m Arctic acres in Alaska;

Classifying "forever chemicals" as hazardous substances;

A requirement for federal agencies to buy sustainable products;

Closing the gun-show loophole.

That's just a partial list, and it's only Thursday.

Why the rush? As Gerard Edic writes for The American Prospect, finalizing these rules now protects them from the Congressional Review Act, a gimmick created by Newt Gingrich in 1996 that lets the next Senate wipe out administrative rules created in the months before a federal election:

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-04-23-biden-administration-regulations-congressional-review-act/

In other words, this is more dazzling administrative competence from the technically brilliant agencies that have labored quietly and effectively since 2020. Even laggards like Pete Buttigieg have gotten in on the act, despite a very poor showing in the early years of the Biden administration:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/11/dinah-wont-you-blow/#ecp

Despite those unpromising beginnings, the DOT has gotten onboard the trains it regulates, and passed a great rule that forces airlines to refund your money if they charge you for services they don't deliver:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2024/04/24/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-announces-rules-to-deliver-automatic-refunds-and-protect-consumers-from-surprise-junk-fees-in-air-travel/

The rule also bans junk fees and forces airlines to compensate you for late flights, finally giving American travelers the same rights their European cousins have enjoyed for two decades.

It's the latest in a string of muscular actions taken by the DOT, a period that coincides with the transfer of Jen Howard from her role as chief of staff to FTC chair Lina Khan to a new gig as the DOT's chief of competition enforcement:

https://prospect.org/infrastructure/transportation/2024-04-25-transportation-departments-new-path/

Under Howard's stewardship, the DOT blocked the merger of Spirit and Jetblue, and presided over the lowest flight cancellation rate in more than decade:

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/2023-numbers-more-flights-fewer-cancellations-more-consumer-protections

All that, along with a suite of protections for fliers, mark a huge turning point in the US aviation industry's long and worsening abusive relationship with the American public. There's more in the offing, too including a ban on charging families extra for adjacent seats, rules to make flying with wheelchairs easier, and a ban on airlines selling passenger's private information to data brokers.

There's plenty going on in the world – and in the Biden administration – that you have every right to be furious and/or depressed about. But these expert agencies, staffed by experts, have brought on a tsunami of rules that will make every working American better off in a myriad of ways. Those material improvements in our lives will, in turn, free us up to fight the bigger, existential fights for a livable planet, free from genocide.

It may not be a good time to be alive, but it's a much better time than it was just last week.

And it's only Thursday.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/25/capri-v-tapestry/#aiming-at-dollars-not-men

#pluralistic #labor #antitrust #trustbusting #noncompetes #indenture #ftc #matt stoller #david dayen #tapestry #luxury fashion #capri

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