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‘ This is clearly a problem that can be solved with a little planning and adequate funding. ‘ That’s not true when costs can escalate to any amount. Which they
by whiddershins 6y ago
‘ This is clearly a problem that can be solved with a little planning and adequate funding. ‘
That’s not true when costs can escalate to any amount. Which they can, and do. Regularly. With governmental projects.
- elihu 6y agoSure that could happen. But it doesn't have to. We already have a lot of public infrastructure: schools, roads, government buildings, parks, and so on. Some of those projects are managed well, and some aren't. Either way, we put up with it because on average the benefits of those things outweigh the costs. Public restrooms aren't fundamentally different from all the other forms of public infrastructure we already have.
- whiddershins 6y agoWhat exactly is the downside to making it legal to charge for the bathroom? Like, what exactly.
- elihu 6y agoPrivacy is one. A lot of people don't carry cash, and probably few carry coins anymore. Which means going with electronic payment. Do you want there to be an electronic record of every time you paid to use a restroom? Another is precedent. If charging for a restroom were allowed, it would likely be done in a lot of places that are currently free. That seems like a step backwards. A third is that if pay toilets were a big business, then such businesses would have a strong incentive to lobby their local governments against constructing new free bathrooms.
- upbeat_general 6y agoSome (including me) might find it morally wrong.
- airhead969 6y agoMonetize every biological necessity: it's the American way! Oxygen, water, food, sleep, sex, socialization, excretion, entertainment, industriousness: 6 out of 8 ain't bad, but those two more are attainable if we change attitudes through a holistic social media and mass marketing campaign.