“The episode became a metaphor for American capitalism in the 21st century. A highly profitable company had bloodied a consumer, and it didn’t matter because consumers have no choice. Competition is the essence of capitalism, yet it is dying.” Bloomberg with a two-part book excerpt: Competition Is Dying, and Taking Capitalism With It.

+ And this from Gallup: “Americans aged 18 to 29 are as positive about socialism (51%) as they are about capitalism (45%). This represents a 12-point decline in young adults’ positive views of capitalism in just the past two years and a marked shift since 2010, when 68% viewed it positively.”

+ The “combination of unemployed workers and happy investors underscores a key point about the modern American economy: What’s good for corporate profits isn’t necessarily good for workers. In fact, and perhaps now more than ever, the interests of a company’s workers and shareholders are directly at odds. It wasn’t always this way.” WaPo: GM layoffs are another victory for capital over labor.

+ Another side of capitalism: This ATM Started Spitting Out $100 Bills and People Lost Their Dang Minds.