A silver lining in a dark cloud of socialism

[Res Ipsa]

Provide me the name of your utility company, and I will be glad to bone up on it and give you the answer to that question. If you want me to keep that information private PM me.

I wish I could share that with you but this is a very hostile environment and I've already shared too much in real life information. But I'm not making these numbers up and it wasn't just my house but most of the people I've talked with in the neighborhood. It's also interesting that both liberals and conservatives hate this company though I'm sure we'd disagree over why the fees went up so much. It is strange that on a local level my Trump hating tennis opponent seems to get how badly the liberal city government has mismanaged this. It's just odd how people understand things on a practical level but it doesn't effect their national political ideology on environmentalism, lockdowns, and well socialism. The reason explained to me on a Facebook page dedicated to the community hatred of this city "service" was wastewater. That put us over the limit upon which a $150 surcharge and tax was added. It was summertime down here which means the A/C will make electricity soar but when you look at the nuts and bolts of the bill, it was wastewater where they jacked up the bill.

Wait a minute. Are you talking about an electricity bill or a combined bill for different utilities? Because a storm water surcharge has nothing to do with electricity.

[Jersey Girl]

I thought we covered this before? I'm having deja vu over here.

[canpakes]

We achieved energy independence.

No. We have not achieved ‘energy independence’. We aren’t even self-sufficient as regards oil, which is only one source of US energy. Start with this short article from the conservative Heritage Foundation:

https://www.heritage.org/coal-oil-natur ... e-east-oil


We have enjoyed a few months as a net exporter of oil, which is not the same as being ‘energy independent’. And this is not consistent. View the EIA’s figures here:

https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/PET_MOVE_N ... BLPD_M.htm


Most industry watchers believe that we’ll be increasing our quantity of imported oil as we enter 2021:

https://markets.businessinsider.com/com ... 1029076100

[Some Schmo]

I know you don't like the lockdowns, ajax, and part of your distaste seems to be based on false death rate. It's not as low as you are telling yourself it is, likely because you don't want to feel like a monster. This is what I keep telling you: you're lying to yourself. You could check the actual death rate, but again, you're avoiding this information.

I don't know anyone who "wants" more lockdowns. Why do you tell yourself that?

But I'm off topic here... You didn't answer my question (unless your entire definition of socialism is warfare three months a year), so I'll try again. What does socialism actually mean? You must know since it represents such a threat to this country in your mind, so let us have it.

[ajax18]

I wish I could share that with you but this is a very hostile environment and I've already shared too much in real life information. But I'm not making these numbers up and it wasn't just my house but most of the people I've talked with in the neighborhood. It's also interesting that both liberals and conservatives hate this company though I'm sure we'd disagree over why the fees went up so much. It is strange that on a local level my Trump hating tennis opponent seems to get how badly the liberal city government has mismanaged this. It's just odd how people understand things on a practical level but it doesn't effect their national political ideology on environmentalism, lockdowns, and well socialism. The reason explained to me on a Facebook page dedicated to the community hatred of this city "service" was wastewater. That put us over the limit upon which a $150 surcharge and tax was added. It was summertime down here which means the A/C will make electricity soar but when you look at the nuts and bolts of the bill, it was wastewater where they jacked up the bill.

Wait a minute. Are you talking about an electricity bill or a combined bill for different utilities? Because a storm water surcharge has nothing to do with electricity.

It's water, gas, and electric combined. I ran the sprinklers less than last spring.

[ajax18]

I wish I could share that with you but this is a very hostile environment and I've already shared too much in real life information. But I'm not making these numbers up and it wasn't just my house but most of the people I've talked with in the neighborhood. It's also interesting that both liberals and conservatives hate this company though I'm sure we'd disagree over why the fees went up so much. It is strange that on a local level my Trump hating tennis opponent seems to get how badly the liberal city government has mismanaged this. It's just odd how people understand things on a practical level but it doesn't effect their national political ideology on environmentalism, lockdowns, and well socialism. The reason explained to me on a Facebook page dedicated to the community hatred of this city "service" was wastewater. That put us over the limit upon which a $150 surcharge and tax was added. It was summertime down here which means the A/C will make electricity soar but when you look at the nuts and bolts of the bill, it was wastewater where they jacked up the bill.

Wait a minute. Are you talking about an electricity bill or a combined bill for different utilities? Because a storm water surcharge has nothing to do with electricity.

It's water, gas, and electric combined. I ran the sprinklers less than last spring.

[ajax18]

Socialism is the removal of individual choice in how you spend or don't spend your paycheck. It's no longer equality of opportunity but equality of result. It's where incentive to work longer and harder are taken away It's a form of bondage as evidenced by things like the Berlin Wall. Freedom is not easily regained once this happens. In fact it's nearly impossible.

[Bret Ripley]

Socialism is the removal of individual choice in how you spend or don't spend your paycheck. It's no longer equality of opportunity but equality of result. It's where incentive to work longer and harder are taken away It's a form of bondage as evidenced by things like the Berlin Wall. Freedom is not easily regained once this happens. In fact it's nearly impossible.

Well, boys, he's onto us. I suggest we drown him out by singing that old celebration of socialist ideals, "Sixteen Tons."

[Res Ipsa]

Socialism is the removal of individual choice in how you spend or don't spend your paycheck. It's no longer equality of opportunity but equality of result. It's where incentive to work longer and harder are taken away It's a form of bondage as evidenced by things like the Berlin Wall. Freedom is not easily regained once this happens. In fact it's nearly impossible.

Words have meaning, Ajax. What you are describing is called taxation, not socialism. You really should pick up a copy of an introductory level book on economics so you learn about basic concepts like how taxation for infrastructure gets you things like water that comes from a tap and won’t get you cholera and streets that don’t have sewage flowing along side in open ditches, and lights that come on when you flip a switch. In your anarcho-capitalist utopia, that’s where you end up. See free rider problem.

[ajax18]

Equality of result is taxation? What does equality of result have to do with natural monopolies?

You know what? Don't answer. I'm done herding cats for a while.