It’s true. While we are being distracted by fake news, these 11 companies have taken over the entire American consumer market and have the power to persuade your buying habits with the help of limited competition and congressional hands.

See the larger version of the map here. “The rapid rise of variation in everyday goods and services, from which cereal we eat in the morning to which toothpaste we brush our teeth with at night, gives the perception of unlimited choice.

For example, if you’re deciding which bottled water to buy, the possibilities range from budget brands, like Deer Park or Ozarka, to higher-end options, like Perrier or S. Pellegrino. But this appearance of choice is actually manufactured. All of the aforementioned brands are owned by one company: Nestle.” According to WikiBuy.com

Who cares, right? Well, this is a blatant unchecked monopoly which is the exclusive possession or control of the supply of or trade in a commodity or service, and monopolies are illegal if they are established or maintained through improper conduct, such as exclusionary or predatory acts. This is known as anticompetitive monopolization.

Facebook is considered a modern monopoly. They buyout or exploit competition and sensor information. They dominate their industry and the fines they accrue barely hit their piggy bank. But with Facebook versus these 11 companies above, there is no illusion of choice. The big corporations actually offer you an illusion of choice by purchasing organic companies.

WikiBuy, notes, “Across the board, Americans were unable to correctly identify the correct owners of major brands. Respondents came closest with Kashi, which 48 percent correctly identified as owned by Kellogg’s. Only 30 percent of respondents selected Coca-Cola as the correct owner of Honest Tea, and just 27 percent of respondents correctly chose General Mills as the owner of Annie’s Homegrown.”

For years big business has consolidated their power and influence to line their pockets. The checks and balances of power seemed to die sometime after 9/11. Microsoft was labeled a monopoly but only faced a fine, while Bill Gates moved on to a much more lucrative business. Vaccines.

Somewhere during our war on terror, our apologies overseas and the attack of the current President, we have shifted focus on this problem. 11 companies should not dictate what gets placed in grocery, mall and hardware stores. these 11 corporations are the reason the virus lockdown is killing small business. They are allowed to sell. The American small business owner is not.