This type of shit happens every single time something is privatized
and yet, we still have lots of mouth breathers running around supporting privatizing services
Alberta has absolutely no shortage of those. They did this to themselves.
The UCP voters really screwed me over. They can do what they want but they should’ve let everyone else leave before then. I’d move but the rest of the country is literally on fire.
Everywhere I look I see austerity, and every time I think of Clara Mattei’s book "The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism"
Here’s a nice appearance on the Richard Wolff podcast that she did for those interested
I’ve been meaning to read that. I listened to an interview she gave and it was great.
I actually haven’t read it (hehe) but the interviews that I’ve watched from the author have me excited to start it, I’m just working on finishing my Harvey’s “Anti-capitalist Chronicles” with the little free time I have to read these days 😩
Even the bits and blurbs from her interviews live rent-free in my head, largely because there is massive austerity taking place in (and ramping up) throughout Canada, the US, and elsewhere. It seems wickedly timely
For profit industry will always be more expensive than public. Because the goal of the public industry is to provide the public with that good/service. It often sells at cost or even at a deficit since it does not need to profit. Its prices will only raise if material or labor costs increase.
Meanwhile private industries will always be looking for ways to increase price. Whether it be by cutting wages even further, adding pointless additions to up sell, “shrinkflation” etc. Because the goal is to make money despite the actual value of it’s good/service.
Because the goal of the public industry is to provide the public with that good/service. It often sells at cost or even at a deficit since it does not need to profit.
reminds me of how many western commentators disparage china’s high speed rail system for running at a loss and supposedly wasting money. yes, of course it does. the trains are the point, not the pursuit of profit. the government pays for high speed rail because it’s a needed service, and the costs of operating hsr is worth it in the long run and will even pay for itself.
Exactly. Money from train ticket sales is not the point of the public transport. The payoff lies in the population being able to travel the country cheaply. Yes the train will run a loss but the country as a whole will greatly benefit with the ease of transportation.
Capitalists only care about the sale. It is very short sided when trying to improve a nation as a whole. A private industry must constantly grow more and more to stay in business. This is detrimental in the long run as it will constantly require more and more degradation of the service and collusion with the state to maintain this profit growth. Overall, it will cost the population much more than the “losses” a public industry would.
Yes but have you ever thought about if it was a truly free market? We could have 20+ electric providers all with their own dedicated infrastructure and telephone poles competing with each other! That would make perfect sense and I am very smart dot libertarian
Funniest thing is that we can compare it somewhat to internet providers, and of course it works like predicted, local providers each had their own nets, the access was shitty, expensive and had barely any coverage, then the big companies like phone and tv providers came in and locals bankrupted instantly except the rare cases of those that got public support (from the local administration) and access to public infrastructure.
It’s probably better to just let the ‘market decide’ and by that I mean use public infrastructure and tax money to prop up private enterprise and then give them monopoly power to determine monthly rates for broadband while insuring no competition by subsidy and zero antitrust enforcement
I mean, it’s awesome right? Best. internet. Evar
Damn, Alberta really is the Texas of Canada
It’s almost like introducing a profit motive doesn’t in fact drive prices down 🤔
Thing is that it can in the early stages which is how people end up getting tricked. Private industry starts undercutting public services to get a foothold, and then once they become entrenched then the quality of service goes down and price goes up.
Financialization is basically this. The trick is to have the financial runway to capture market share. Customers buy-in because it’s the best deal (temporarily). This is why walled-gardens exist in tons of places for seemingly no benefit. The benefit is locking in the customers to your ‘ecosystem’ or whatever.
And by the time you’ve bought the bridge, there’s nobody else offering a similar service with which to compare prices so the scam goes on and on until the infrastructure collapses under the weight of zero maintenance under the privatised model.
Yes but have you considered they don’t have to live under authoritarianism? Checkmate tankies. 😎 😎
