brandeis unhinged '...brandeis believed in the importance of countervailing powers. democracy struggles for breath when one realm of society becomes too big and powerful..in his view of modern life, the primary fear - which remains as terrifying as ever - was that a small group of companies would achieve outsized political and economic power. 'the american people have as little need of oligarchy in business as in politics,' he wrote. there's no doubting what brandeis would have made of google, facebook, and amazon which embody the full collection of his fears. they are monopolies operating without restraint, regulatory or otherwise. the companies preach the gospel of efficiency as they engage in the most extensive surveillance in human history. they are rent-seekers with little regard for the independent producers whose goods they sell. they shape the minds of citizens, filtering information by which citizens arrive at their political opinions. brandeis helped set the norms for modern american life, and the companies have built systems that grievously injure those norms.' - franklin foer 171227 what's it to you? who go blather from