John,

America has a monopoly problem. We have a handful of giant corporations that dominate entire industries. This is bad for small businesses that can’t compete with corporate behemoths and it’s bad for consumers.

During the pandemic-driven supply chain crisis, we saw the cost of many goods skyrocket, and product shortages hitting families hard. 

Baby formula shortage? We have just three companies that control the baby formula market in the U.S. Compounded with a pandemic-driven supply and demand crisis, along with one of the major companies having their products recalled due to safety concerns, we had a major product shortage. 

Gas? The 5 major oil companies have made record profits this year while everyday folks continue to struggle to afford the high cost of gas at the pump. The major oil companies kept their prices high at the pump, and then used their record profits to buy back their own stocks and line their shareholders’ pockets. 

Meat? There are four major meat companies that control 85% of America’s beef market. Tyson Foods, which has several meat packing plants in Iowa, made massive profits during the supply chain crisis while raking up their prices on grocery store shelves. 

Corporate monopolies are not a new phenomenon in America but the power is getting more concentrated by the hands of a few CEOs than ever before. Family farms are being squeezed out of business. Small businesses can’t compete with the big box stores and so on. 

We need strong antitrust laws that ensure power is not consolidated in the hands of a few. And we need to better support our small businesses, family farms and local entrepreneurs. 

America’s supply chains can’t be dominated by a handful of corporations, otherwise this inflation crisis we’ve been experiencing will be the first of many in the future.

Standing Tall for All,

J.D. Scholten 

If you'd like to send a check to Scholten for Iowa, please mail it to: Scholten for Iowa, P.O. Box 5351, Sioux City, IA 51102.