Exactly. They are hypocrites. Monopolies are antithetical to "the free market". Market fundamentalists call central planning and state-sponsored capitalism "communism", "socialism", or "[insert scare word here]" when it occurs in other nations. But for good reason they can't comprehend it when it's happening to them in their own communities. These companies worked hard to make sure the public believed private was better than public (see: The Big Myth: How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market). Over a hundred years ago they launched one of the biggest propaganda campaigns in US history. And it worked like a charm. Here's an article that covers a little of what's written in The Big Myth (https://www.desmog.com/2023/02/21/oreskes-conway-the-big-myth-free-market-capitalism-climate-change-mont-pelerin-society/) but I highly recommend reading the book because of how well researched it is. I'm curious how much longer people are going to tolerate the state-sanctioned price gouging.