But that’s communism 🤣
municipal utilities are not much better either unfortunately
The correct answer to #2 is
‘Make it easier to tap the lines safely and steal gas without putting anyone at risk, then die in the revolution.’
So you want to replace a monopoly with… a monopoly.
Yes. Services like gas and water are natural monopolies - it doesn’t make sense to roll out two or three separate lots of distribution pipes, so you always just have one service available to you. The best option is to have them as government owned services.
Yes. Services like gas and water are natural monopolies
Pipes may lean towards being a monopoly, delivering goods through them only if the owners are allowed to block using them freely.
Um… I’m perfectly OK with a “monopoly” for my fire fighting services. Why would I feel differently for my utilities services?
I think it’s cute that people in a so-called solar"punk" community are against freedom. No freedom to start a business, no freedom to choose service providers. Did hexbear migrate to solarpunk?
Nothing says punk more than enabling for profit corporations to hold sole ownership of the utilities that we need to continue living in a bare minimum standard of living. /s
The Orwellian conclusion you come to is cute: Allowing competition means eliminating competition (by state run entities).
It’s not the people in the solarpunk community (because of federation posts get federated throughout the fediverse) but rather people not noticing the community
We’re talking about basic utilities though. Do you think the average person can start or run such a business? I’m honestly interested in the answer.
Solar power, yes definitely. Is power not a basic utility?
Good point but I would say it’s hard to monopolize solar power since it’s easy to just buy your own panels. Wheras it’s not feasible to buld your own power plant.
Wasn’t that the point though? You’re arguing that small scale power doesn’t exist when it clearly does.
I never said that. Small scale power is always the way to go! Be it small hydro or solar panels!
It’s very different to have small localized power and distribution networks than controlling a whole country’s power and then giving that whole network to a private company to manage.
Please enlighten me on how I can start a utilities company? Make sure you give me details on how I can maximize profits to my shareholders while fucking over my customers.
Or maybe I should start a non-profit utilities company, and the cost of your services is subsidized by taxpayers’ money. That way, I don’t have to constantly chase capitalism and make life better for my community instead of my shareholders.
Put a solar panel on your roof.
Please enlighten me on how I can start a utilities company?
If you have to ask, just don’t.
Those things are natural monopolies, so the choice isn’t monopoly vs free-market it’s profit-driven-monopoly vs public-good-driven-monopoly.
Unlike what’s said by the mindless pseudo-Economics bollocks a lot of prople have been indoctrinated with, the upsides for consumers of a Free Market only exist in the subset of markets were there are natural conditions for high levels of competition - which is most definitelly not gas provision to households - and even in those there are still systemic problems such as negative externalities that require some level of regulation.
