5 ms·

Everything is a financial decision at the end of the day. You can't just wish away the laws of economics. Let's say that regulations dictated that they had to

Everything is a financial decision at the end of the day. You can't just wish away the laws of economics. Let's say that regulations dictated that they had to spend this money and they didn't have it. Add enough of such regulations and a shrinking tax base and eventually you have an insolvent city. What do you propose we do then? Near as I can tell, it's reasonable to have such regulations so people don't get hurt by people making decisions with consequences they don't understand, but eventually this will lead to insolvency and we need to have a plan to shut down cities that become insolvent and support relocation efforts when that happens.

maxerickson 10y ago
It would have been better to shut the water off.
scythe 10y ago
Saving $140/day at the risk of $100M damage to infrastructure is not good financial sense. It's the financial sense exercised by the kind of person who expects someone else to pay for the mess, i.e. a government official. A private corporation which was exposed to the liability would have likely chosen to raise the price of water to pay for the corrosion inhibitor, but someone whose job is to manipulate the balance sheet for political gain has a different utility function. We handle this with rules.
- macawfish 10y ago
  Funny how this discussion is happening just as Trump proposes to cut things like Meals on Wheels and PBS.
- orasis 10y ago
  If that private corporation were a mining company in Montana they would choose to take the profits, go bankrupt, and again have the people pay to clean up the mess.
  - LoonyBalloony 10y ago
    And thats a wise business decision. But if you want to erase your student loan debt with bankruptcy you're a lazy mooch who should just get a part time job to pay for college like I did back in the '60s. /s
    - orasis 10y ago
      Please don't disrespect real wisdom by using "wise" in that way. Wisdom is multi-dimensional and holistic. Screwing over people and the environment is a loser move.
- 8note 10y ago
  a corporation will never have such liability in the US though... they can bribe a politician(s) into putting the risk on the government

maxerickson 10y ago

It would have been better to shut the water off.

scythe 10y ago

Saving $140/day at the risk of $100M damage to infrastructure is not good financial sense. It's the financial sense exercised by the kind of person who expects someone else to pay for the mess, i.e. a government official. A private corporation which was exposed to the liability would have likely chosen to raise the price of water to pay for the corrosion inhibitor, but someone whose job is to manipulate the balance sheet for political gain has a different utility function. We handle this with rules.

macawfish 10y ago
Funny how this discussion is happening just as Trump proposes to cut things like Meals on Wheels and PBS.
orasis 10y ago
If that private corporation were a mining company in Montana they would choose to take the profits, go bankrupt, and again have the people pay to clean up the mess.
- LoonyBalloony 10y ago
  And thats a wise business decision. But if you want to erase your student loan debt with bankruptcy you're a lazy mooch who should just get a part time job to pay for college like I did back in the '60s. /s
  - orasis 10y ago
    Please don't disrespect real wisdom by using "wise" in that way. Wisdom is multi-dimensional and holistic. Screwing over people and the environment is a loser move.
8note 10y ago
a corporation will never have such liability in the US though... they can bribe a politician(s) into putting the risk on the government