I would be interested to learn more about the financials of those public utilities. Were they a money pit for the tax payers or did they turn a profit? If they at least broke even I would concede that it’s a well balanced solution, although I would still need convincing it would work for groceries which have very diverse supply chains.
I was born in a fully communist country where everything was publicly owned and it resulted in staggering debt, stagnation, and ultimately war. Perhaps my experience is making me extra weary but when I hear someone suggest public ownership as the only solution I just can’t get behind that. I need to see that it’s a small part of a greater plan, which isn’t what Avi is offering.
I strongly disagree that waiting is “fine for now” when we’re being squeezed by the orange turd down south.
In all fairness it was a mixed bag. The gas and electric companies have been profitable til the end, but the electric company was an easy target for negative opinions since at the time, there were a lot of blackouts (we just had a major revolution at the time and a lot of infrastructure needed repairs).
The water company was a lost cause, it had been hollowed out by corrupt management when it became clear that it’s being set up for a buyout. It lowered the value of the company and the buyers were able to get it for real cheap.
I understand this is not the shining example, but there’s a lot there that worked, until it didn’t. I truly believe that in a healthy democracy that setup can still work.
And yes, agree to disagree on “fine for now”. I just don’t want perfection to be the enemy of good. I think just taking small steps into the right direction is enough, and we can build momentum off small wins
I would be interested to learn more about the financials of those public utilities. Were they a money pit for the tax payers or did they turn a profit? If they at least broke even I would concede that it’s a well balanced solution, although I would still need convincing it would work for groceries which have very diverse supply chains.
I was born in a fully communist country where everything was publicly owned and it resulted in staggering debt, stagnation, and ultimately war. Perhaps my experience is making me extra weary but when I hear someone suggest public ownership as the only solution I just can’t get behind that. I need to see that it’s a small part of a greater plan, which isn’t what Avi is offering.
I strongly disagree that waiting is “fine for now” when we’re being squeezed by the orange turd down south.
In all fairness it was a mixed bag. The gas and electric companies have been profitable til the end, but the electric company was an easy target for negative opinions since at the time, there were a lot of blackouts (we just had a major revolution at the time and a lot of infrastructure needed repairs).
The water company was a lost cause, it had been hollowed out by corrupt management when it became clear that it’s being set up for a buyout. It lowered the value of the company and the buyers were able to get it for real cheap.
I understand this is not the shining example, but there’s a lot there that worked, until it didn’t. I truly believe that in a healthy democracy that setup can still work.
And yes, agree to disagree on “fine for now”. I just don’t want perfection to be the enemy of good. I think just taking small steps into the right direction is enough, and we can build momentum off small wins