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It's actually quite simple: Nationalization. Edit: instead of downvoting me, you may want to argue why AT&T is any different than Amtrak, The Postal Service, a

It's actually quite simple: Nationalization. Edit: instead of downvoting me, you may want to argue why AT&T is any different than Amtrak, The Postal Service, and the TSA.

lucasmullens 7y ago
I don't think you made it clear in your unedited comment that you were talking about AT&T and not Google. I certainly wouldn't want Google to be nationalized.
- spaceribs 7y ago
  Is Google an infrastructural aspect of the internet at this point?
pdonis 7y ago
> you may want to argue why AT&T is any different than Amtrak, The Postal Service, and the TSA It isn't. But that's not an argument for nationalizing AT&T; it's an argument for privatizing the others. In fact, two out of three of them already have private competitors in the US; the only one that doesn't is Amtrak.
- spaceribs 7y ago
  Considering how the postal service has been hobbled by politicians attempting to privatize it[1] and as for the TSA, it used to be private, do I really have to argue why that was a bad idea? [1] https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-postal-service-is-being-gutted.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-po...
  - pdonis 7y ago
    > the postal service has been hobbled by politicians attempting to privatize it So what? That has nothing to do with the fact that private companies have proven, through the entire history of the United States (including before the USA was even an independent country), that they can provide postal service. So there is no need for the government to be doing it. > as for the TSA, it used to be private, do I really have to argue why that was a bad idea? If you have such an argument, you should make it to the airports that use private screeners today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screening_Partnership_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screening_Partnership_Program
    - iron0013 7y ago
      It kinda seems to me that the fact that the government has proven to be able to successfully provide postal service is evidence that we don’t need private alternatives introducing inefficiencies in the form of rent seeking
      - pdonis 7y ago
        > private alternatives introducing inefficiencies in the form of rent seeking Um, what? Rent seeking is one way of taking advantage of government-granted privileges. How are FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. rent seeking?
    - spaceribs 7y ago
      > If you have such an argument, you should make it to the airports that use private screeners today. Sure! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
      - pdonis 7y ago
        You are aware that the program I linked to was put into effect after 9/11, right?

It's actually quite simple: Nationalization. Edit: instead of downvoting me, you may want to argue why AT&T is any different than Amtrak, The Postal Service, and the TSA.

lucasmullens 7y ago

I don't think you made it clear in your unedited comment that you were talking about AT&T and not Google. I certainly wouldn't want Google to be nationalized.

spaceribs 7y ago
Is Google an infrastructural aspect of the internet at this point?

pdonis 7y ago

> you may want to argue why AT&T is any different than Amtrak, The Postal Service, and the TSA It isn't. But that's not an argument for nationalizing AT&T; it's an argument for privatizing the others. In fact, two out of three of them already have private competitors in the US; the only one that doesn't is Amtrak.

spaceribs 7y ago
Considering how the postal service has been hobbled by politicians attempting to privatize it[1] and as for the TSA, it used to be private, do I really have to argue why that was a bad idea? [1] https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-postal-service-is-being-gutted.aspx https://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/04/how-the-po...
- pdonis 7y ago
  > the postal service has been hobbled by politicians attempting to privatize it So what? That has nothing to do with the fact that private companies have proven, through the entire history of the United States (including before the USA was even an independent country), that they can provide postal service. So there is no need for the government to be doing it. > as for the TSA, it used to be private, do I really have to argue why that was a bad idea? If you have such an argument, you should make it to the airports that use private screeners today. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screening_Partnership_Program https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screening_Partnership_Program
  - iron0013 7y ago
    It kinda seems to me that the fact that the government has proven to be able to successfully provide postal service is evidence that we don’t need private alternatives introducing inefficiencies in the form of rent seeking
    - pdonis 7y ago
      > private alternatives introducing inefficiencies in the form of rent seeking Um, what? Rent seeking is one way of taking advantage of government-granted privileges. How are FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc. rent seeking?
  - spaceribs 7y ago
    > If you have such an argument, you should make it to the airports that use private screeners today. Sure! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks
    - pdonis 7y ago
      You are aware that the program I linked to was put into effect after 9/11, right?