[fhs-65] Re: Government-greed

  • From: Steve <sfgrob@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: dpolhill@xxxxxxx, fhs-65@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 4 Mar 2022 14:40:32 -0500

I don't think it is so much government greed as it is government incompetence.

At least that is the way I seen here in Indiana.   Several years ago our state relinquished control/administration/maintenance of  the Indiana Toll Road system to a private contract company (foreign at that).  The state got a big payout and the governor couldn't stop patting himself on the back.

But this euphoria didn't last long.  Soon that company raised tolls, reduced the number to attendants at the toll booths and neglected maintenance.  The situation got so bad that the state had to step in and provide a lot of the maintenance.  Truckers were so upset with the costs, and the state of the road and delays, they started using the non-limited-access state highways to avoid the Tollway.

This resulted in increased maintenance required on the highways and caused a lot more accidents and deaths due to these big rigs clogging our state highways.  These highways were never design for these high traffic loads.  These state highways snake through a lot of towns too, slowing commuters and generally angering the populace.   Needless to say this was a colossal fail. 

Here is another tale of a function that should be handled by government.  Our trash pickup is contracted out, not run by the city.  But the present contractor is failing miserably.  This contractor was handed the contract because it submitted the lowest bid.  This was to save the citizens money.  But the contractor is not up to the task.  They continuously miss scheduled pickups. So the city, with a few trucks and city works who are intended to maintain our parks, are used to pick up the slack.  City workers and trucks, that the citizens are paying for, now cover the contractor misses.

The trash pickup company has filed for bankruptcy but continues to collect the contract payment amount regardless of performance.  The city has tried to cancel the contract but can't because the the company is in bankruptcy now and protected by the courts.  Normally we would leave our trash bins out at the curb on a specific day for trash collection.  The service is so erratic that we are told to leave the bins out all the time and they will get collected when possible.  Drive through our neighborhoods now and all you see is endless lines of trash bins.  Another private contractor fail.
Found this quote in one of the articles about our tollways that really sums it up: "Privatization deals often limit the ability of people to govern themselves".  Amen.
Steve

On 03/04/2022 13:37, dpolhill@xxxxxxx wrote:
correct.  and when everyone refuses to pay for  a $40 movie, the price will adjust.  Not as simple when dealing with government-greed ... and everything government does is as a monopoly, so consumers are denied choice. I would fix this by moving everything government does out and into the competitive sector.
DP
In a message dated 3/4/2022 11:22:07 AM Mountain Standard Time, sfgrob@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:  

Indeed it is.  But it is unfortunate that so many corporations abuse this so often now.  There just is so little integrity left in business theses days.  The motto "Greed is good" is alive and well.

Steve

On 03/04/2022 13:02, dpolhill (dpolhill) wrote: Market pricing is generally a good thing.  A good mechanism for flattening demand.  I'm still in shock over the Colorado-idiots who waited in line for 12 hours for an in & out burger ... a very high price to pay for the privilege of saying, "i was there on the day they opened."  still ... their choice, so OK.  just not for me ... world's foremost cheapskate.  
DP
In a message dated 3/3/2022 8:35:40 PM Mountain Standard Time, dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:  
Holy sh*t! Haven't been to a movie theater in years ... I had NO idea! Donna       Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone     -------- Original message -------- From: Steve <sfgrob@xxxxxxxxxxx> Date: 3/3/22 5:57 PM (GMT-05:00) To: FHS-65 <FHS-65@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: [fhs-65] ≈$40   I just watched a bit on the evening news about the new Batman movie
coming to the AMC theaters.  The story was about how AMC is charging
more for Batman than other movies, playing at the same theaters at the
same time.  If we were both going to this movie, and would both go
together if we went, it would cost us nearly $40.

Does anyone else find this a ridiculously high price for attending a
movie?  The theaters are complaining that people are not coming back to
the theaters - well, DUH!

Steve


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