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Re: Texas had the money to buy snowplows. They didn't. Texas had the money to winterize wind turbines. They didn't. They worship tax-cuts and D.I.Y. social Dar
by tabtab 6y ago
Re: Texas had the money to buy snowplows. They didn't. Texas had the money to winterize wind turbines. They didn't.
They worship tax-cuts and D.I.Y. social Darwinism (survival of the fittest). So when the weather gets bad, many there are okay with social Darwinism per survival. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/17/texas-mayor-tom-boyd-quits-storm-sink-or-swim https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/feb/17/texas-mayor-...
Note I didn't say all are happy with it, but enough that they tend to lightly fund infrastructure.
- jandrese 6y agoIt's a case study in why putting public utilities on a free market is self destructive. The company that neglects maintenance drives the costs down and wins, driving out the competition. Once they have an effective monopoly the utility collapses from a pileup of deferred maintenance and has to get bailed out by the taxpayers. On the upside some very rich people got way richer than they would have under a traditional regulated utility situation.
- s1artibartfast 6y agosounds like poor management. Why do you think the same individuals overseeing the private utilities would do a better job of managing public utilities? Public utilities rot on the vine and get bailed out as well.
- jandrese 6y agoThe market rewarded short term thinking that resulted in lower prices at the expense of much more expensive repairs later. Companies that were properly managed were outcompeted and got bought out by the short term thinking competitor.
- s1artibartfast 6y agoDoesn't politics favor short term thinking as well?
- jandrese 6y agoElected officials yes. Civil Servants that don't get swapped out with each administration not so much. People like your county water commissioner.