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> housing, food) the market can be dangerous Housing and food are free market because they are easy to get substitutes for in most of the western world (move t
by kortilla 2y ago
> housing, food) the market can be dangerous
Housing and food are free market because they are easy to get substitutes for in most of the western world (move to a different neighborhood, buy different food). Those two categories don’t really belong with water and healthcare.
The barrier to entry to provide tap water or provide healthcare is very high.
- raffraffraff 2y agoHousing in Ireland isn't a free market. We have had a chronic shortage of housing for decades, but the influx of asylum seekers has put more pressure on it. Renters stand in lines half a mile long to view a grotty shoe-box that costs more than a mortgage. But yeah, maybe in other places it's different. Yes, food is a free market right now, and in addition, it's subsidised (well, production is). Wait 20 years though, if climate change driven storms and floods destroy whole crops, that could change things dramatically.
- jjav 2y ago> food are free market because they are easy to get substitutes for in most of the western world (move to a different neighborhood, buy different food) In the US, a very small number of corporations own nearly all the supermarkets. You can move all you want, it is the same stores (possibly under different brand name, but same ownership).
- ivewonyoung 2y agoGrocery stores have thin margins because they have competition or threat of it.
- kortilla 2y agoDon’t go to a supermarket then? Use farmers markets, local butchers, and local coops if you don’t like supermarkets.
- relaxing 2y agoYou might be surprised how hard “move to another neighborhood” can be for some.