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I hope the people providing my food, utilities, clothing, and bedding are making a sustainable profit. I want them to be around in the future when I need those needs fulfilled.

Yes. You arent just like born into 'fulfilling' a basic human need.

These services, think healthcare, food, and housing, should be public services that are guaranteed not delivered by the market. You cannot look at the market-based solutions to literally any of these objectively and think it is performing well. At least, not if you value human life.

The problem, as always is about the definitions and the power associated with controlling those definitions. Does a fine wine count as food? What about an imported fruit? If the US made it illegal to profit on food I think we'd see rapid regulatory capture that supported some of the worst agri-business behemoths. (e.g. what happens to the local farmers that I prefer to support? They probably need a bigger profit margin than they have already, and can't even hope to compete at scale)

I agree with your intent here, but the devil is in the details.

Sounds like you have alternative history to what I learned.

Maybe buying up life-critical drugs to hike up the prices?

Sounds good to me.