01-20-2018 04:10 PM
#151
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01-20-2018 04:14 PM
#152
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If that's how much they're getting paid, if that's how the system is working, then yes, it's fair. Or at least, as fair as it can be. | |
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01-20-2018 04:15 PM
#153
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What are these natural monopolies? |
01-20-2018 04:24 PM
#154
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Not to be glib, but that seems to be the difference between capitalism and socialism in a nutshell right there. The capitalist is individualistic and the socialist is group-oriented. The former is Darwinian in their outlook on wealth whereas the latter treats their country as you would a family that shares resources, rather than just a bunch of strangers that all live in one place and hoard their own goodies. | |
01-20-2018 04:27 PM
#155
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So far, this is good stuff. Everybody is gaining from their actions and all their actions are by choice. In fact, everybody is gaining THE MOST by these choices that they can according to their constraints and their knowledge of their preferences. |
01-20-2018 04:31 PM
#156
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01-20-2018 04:34 PM
#157
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01-20-2018 04:43 PM
#158
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Why do you think you don't have much option in these things? |
01-20-2018 04:44 PM
#159
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01-20-2018 04:48 PM
#160
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Well ask yourself a question... can you set up a business-for-profit, and employ people to work for you, in these countries? If so, there's a healthy dose of capitalism going on there which means any "socialism" going on is the kind that is actually of benefit to business, such as free health and education. | |
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01-20-2018 04:51 PM
#161
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01-20-2018 04:56 PM
#162
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01-20-2018 04:56 PM
#163
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Well, I have precisely one company delivering water to my taps. If I want to use a different company, then I need to move to their region. | |
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01-20-2018 04:58 PM
#164
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01-20-2018 04:59 PM
#165
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01-20-2018 05:01 PM
#166
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01-20-2018 05:08 PM
#167
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01-20-2018 05:16 PM
#168
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Yeah yeah google definitions etc | |
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01-20-2018 05:19 PM
#169
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Where am I going with this? |
01-20-2018 05:22 PM
#170
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01-20-2018 05:25 PM
#171
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Do you suppose there would be monopolies in other industries if the law made them that way? |
01-20-2018 05:33 PM
#172
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I'm getting at how you said government provided healthcare and education is benefit to private businesses. Since it is producers and consumers of the businesses paying the taxes that fund the healthcare and education, it can't be said that those benefit the those people with that information alone. To find out if those benefit the people we need to find out how efficiently government allocates those resources and how efficiently the markets would if allowed to do it themselves. |
01-20-2018 05:34 PM
#173
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01-20-2018 05:35 PM
#174
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01-20-2018 05:36 PM
#175
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01-20-2018 05:38 PM
#176
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01-20-2018 06:25 PM
#177
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First off, you do have choices. And I'm getting at how to improve or disintegrate those choices. A lack of choice in the markets you discuss are often caused by government intervention. In fact, it isn't even evident that any lack of choices in a free market has the effect monopolies behaving like monopolies. |
01-20-2018 06:27 PM
#178
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01-20-2018 06:27 PM
#179
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01-20-2018 06:29 PM
#180
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01-20-2018 06:35 PM
#181
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The thing with the trains is there's only one track going from A to B usually, so you can't really have companies competing over customers in a free markety kind of way. Are they going to build another track next to it and say 'come on our track, it's cheaper?' And how can they do that if they just spend £40m or whatever to build the second track? Or, are they supposed to have two companies using one track and constantly getting in each other's way? | |
01-20-2018 07:06 PM
#182
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This is reflexive liberalism. Just because there is a monopoly, doesn't mean you're getting bilked. |
01-20-2018 07:24 PM
#183
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The answer is I don't know yet in general the specifics for how these things get dealt with. The high fixed cost (and economies of scale) you describe are the theoretical reasons for how monopolies can develop in a free market. Markets continually evolve and over time they tend to allocate resources the way that works best for all those who engage in the market on average. |
Last edited by wufwugy; 01-20-2018 at 10:10 PM. | |
01-21-2018 04:42 AM
#184
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How do I have choice? I have the choice to not consume water? I have the choice to use a different company to deliver my water? Perhaps a different resevoir? | |
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01-21-2018 04:56 AM
#185
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I dunno if your idea of choice is to get four or five different companies to do exactly the same thing on the government's behalf, such as provide electricity. I have chocie here, but each company I can choose from is actually doing exactly the same thing... acting as a middle man between me (the consumer) and the government (the provider). Whether I use company A or company B, I get the same energy from the same plant. The only difference is the person I talk to on the phone and maybe the amount of money I pay. | |
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01-21-2018 05:25 AM
#186
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Looking at our energy companies, I can't figure out what the fuck is going on. | |
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01-21-2018 06:32 AM
#187
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01-21-2018 06:39 AM
#188
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01-21-2018 06:42 AM
#189
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01-21-2018 06:51 AM
#190
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01-21-2018 06:59 AM
#191
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01-21-2018 07:12 AM
#192
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01-21-2018 12:19 PM
#193
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01-21-2018 12:20 PM
#194
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01-21-2018 01:07 PM
#195
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In the first paragraph you implied you don't have choice then in the second paragraph you stated you have choice. |
01-21-2018 01:17 PM
#196
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01-21-2018 01:18 PM
#197
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That situation is a mess. It probably derives from people making decisions based on fear. A heavily government regulated system where the producers are for-profit appears to have the effect of maintaining a stasis in an already stable system while assuaging fears, yet it has no effect or just a very small effect of increasing quality. We've seen this sort of thing in other industries, where there is no improvement at all for a very long time because of government laws, yet "everybody" is happy because they have the same thing today that they did yesterday. Then when that law changes or a new adjacent substitute market opens up where private enterprise operates with little regulation, quality skyrockets. |
01-21-2018 02:01 PM
#198
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"Choice" can be thought of as a cover-all. It's not like ten is 100% increase over five or is even better than five in the first place. There are so many different things at play. |
01-21-2018 02:33 PM
#199
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R&D is not profit. | |
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01-21-2018 02:36 PM
#200
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Bottled water vs tap water is not choice, not when it comes to washing. Drinking, sure, but not everyday household chores. | |
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01-21-2018 02:53 PM
#201
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01-21-2018 03:56 PM
#202
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01-21-2018 04:30 PM
#203
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Yeah. It IS. And it matters. I explained in the post I referenced earlier how just this small amount of choice is possibly responsible for a lot of "keeping the company in line". |
01-21-2018 05:06 PM
#204
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Yeah, and quite a lot happens before someone decides to fill a bath with bottled water. | |
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01-21-2018 06:08 PM
#205
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01-21-2018 06:49 PM
#206
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You literally do yes. Regardless though your point seems to be more there isn't enough competition for energy therefore the companies that do provide that competition should be gotten rid of? One of the big issues is too much government control over energy so that companies can't compete because they are not allowed to do anything. |
01-21-2018 06:51 PM
#207
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Actually what you'd do is wash less. As everyone would be in the same situation washing less would become more normal and therefore prices would drop, especially when people are buying purely bottled water to drink. Well what would actually happen is the government would intervene and ban bottled water but you know. |
01-21-2018 06:53 PM
#208
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01-21-2018 07:05 PM
#209
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01-21-2018 08:50 PM
#210
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If duckface is women presenting how sex-seeking they are (it is), then cuckface is men presenting how much prepped-bull jizz they can fit in their mouths. |
01-22-2018 02:31 PM
#211
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I should clarify something. |
01-22-2018 03:04 PM
#212
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I think expounding on this can exemplify well why private roads/transportation can work quite well. |
01-22-2018 06:35 PM
#213
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So I see that the Women's March was a huge success this year. | |
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01-23-2018 06:34 PM
#214
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This is a picture of a nice woman chestfeeding: | |
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01-23-2018 06:47 PM
#215
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is that a dude with srs gyno? |
01-23-2018 06:49 PM
#216
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01-23-2018 06:52 PM
#217
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how dare you assume that your offense doesn't offend me. |
01-23-2018 06:56 PM
#218
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01-23-2018 06:58 PM
#219
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well if you have that much fucking gyno you probably cry yourself to sleep knowing that your manwomb is actually a cock and balls |
01-23-2018 06:59 PM
#220
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01-24-2018 05:59 AM
#221
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Sorry been busy preparing to move house, plus work. | |
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01-24-2018 06:34 AM
#222
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Myth. |
01-24-2018 08:44 AM
#223
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Ok well I'm going to admit something that hurts my argument somewhat, but it only applies to water and certainly not energy. | |
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01-24-2018 08:45 AM
#224
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"the government"? | |
01-24-2018 08:48 AM
#225
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Yeah but these government regulations exist in both countries, it was an applicable argument even if we have different regulations. | |
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