Whats it like where you live?

[LROBBINS]

I guess that privatizing British Rail and privatizing water districts was an absolute success story.

[Burgerman]

Sounds like you have been reading some lefty media nonsense.
Well they are both better than they were. But could be much better. IF they were free market private businesses. But we get a choice of 1 supplier for each.
Thats NOT a competitive free market enviroment by any stretch. All that happened is that shareholders now own the only rail and water system. Thats NOT capitalist free market. Theres no alternatives, no choices, no other user options. All that really happened is that the government sold them off for money and gave them a set of rules to comply with. They still are not competitive as theres no alternatives for the end users.

And even so, the railways are WAY better today than they ever were when they were nationalised. And instead of needing to be HEAVILY subsidised by the tax payers they now more or less pay. Although theres stll some subsidies. I mean now they actually turn up! That was hit and miss before. You can get edible food, etc. You have no idea quite how bad british rail were regardless of the money pit they were! They even ran a TV ad for 5 years saying "were getting there" and they never did... But again they too are now sold offfor cash to shareholders/other companies, but again not a free market enterprise. Because I dont get a choice if which company takes me. I can only buy a ticket.

And our water is fine. Dont understand what you mean by water? What problem does that have? again its NOT a free market if I can only choose one supplier! That supplier only does what they were instructed to do by the "rules". So its not a free market captalist setup in any way.

Its almost impossible to run some things as free market businesses in any sensible way though beccause of the infrastructure. Theres only one railway. One set of water pipes. One power grid. Such things as roads, railways, maybe water cant ever be in a competitive free market as the user waving the money about has no alternatives. The GOVERNMENT decide on how it is run, and allocate this stuff by tender over long time periods. That is NOT free market enterprize by any stretch.

What I can assure you is that they will be
a) worse
b) cost us an arm and a leg in taxation andmassive subsidies
If the new labour party idiots re-nationalise them.

And we have already seen this in the past.

They also privatised Royal Mail. And Parcel Farce.
That now works much better. They had to modernise to keep up with the competition. Because they HAVE competition. Although they also have a huge unfair advantage too. And so now offer similar services at competitive prices, better tracking, collecton etc. (Almost, they still have the attitude problem and run away befor you can answer the door as it is easier not to deliver and make YOU go to them!)
Its STILL all owned by the government though! They bought all the shares. How is that private? And it still behaves like a government run entity. Entitled, and worse performance than other real carriers. They are gradually getting better. BUT while they have all the best ready made infrastructure, contracts, and by default take all the US postal service stuff, and all the millions of post boxes around the country, post offices in every town and villiage etc they do have actual competition from other carriers. Which they really dont like. So I use those where possible. Cheaper and more reliabe and better tracking.

You cant realistically do this with water or rail. But even so, they are much better than in the old nationalised days.

[Burgerman]

Same problem with the NHS.

I can ring my vet to see my dog at 10 at night on a weekend and
a) he will answer the phone in person.
b) will attend if needed right now.

You cant do that with a doctor. In spite of it costing every working person in the UK 13K pounds on average per year. (nhs cost div by no of working population)

Do you know why?

[slomobile]

What never works is having someone deciding everything in a group or government. Who do you think spends your money the best.

Lets take the example of one thing you mentioned, roads. If it were up to me, I'd build a nice driveway, but could do no more.
Someone has to say, "This big expensive thing will make the majority of lives better. We will take land from you, and you, and you, and pay this much for your land. We will take this much from everyone, every year, to pay these people to build the roads. They will go here. Which is fair and useful to the best of our ability. "

Please tell me how that function gets done by individuals, or free markets? Toll roads? I absolutely hate driving near Chicago on their toll roads. They have even privatized the courts duties in dispute resolution and collection and simply do not follow the law any longer.

I agree with you that single contractor breeds abuse, and competition is necessary. That is the role of the bidding process. I don't like monopolies, but I must acknowledge that the pinnacle of technological achievement is not reached without them. I'm still forming my opinions. I don't agree with everything you say, but it sure helps me to understand more than I knew before. I don't think anyone is for the elimination of free markets. At least I'm not. I've never read Marx, I just said what I felt was true based on my perception of human nature and the information I've been exposed to and you labeled it. I suppose there may be a lot of Marxist influence in media and that is where I got it.

Are you for the elimination of NHS? Should your doctor rent a storefront and hang out his shingle and start taking housecalls? Sounds nice. If you need an MRI, will you be billed for the purchase of the machine? What would the financial services market look like without government regulation? Even with regulation, they try to pull off every dirty trick they can. And the regulators are almost strictly former or current perpetrators.

It seems everything has some good and some bad and anyone telling you their thing is all good must be a liar.

[Burgerman]

Lets take the example of one thing you mentioned, roads. If it were up to me, I'd build a nice driveway, but could do no more.
Someone has to say, "This big expensive thing will make the majority of lives better. We will take land from you, and you, and you, and pay this much for your land. We will take this much from everyone, every year, to pay these people to build the roads. They will go here. Which is fair and useful to the best of our ability. "

Please tell me how that function gets done by individuals, or free markets? Toll roads? I absolutely hate driving near Chicago on their toll roads. They have even privatized the courts duties in dispute resolution and collection and simply do not follow the law any longer.

It doesent. As I said had you read it, some things must be monaged in a non free market way. Big infrastructure things like roads, military, social care systems etc, should be managed by governments. Same with water, and railways. Because theres no way to have any free market way to allow this to run efficiently.

I agree with you that single contractor breeds abuse, and competition is necessary. That is the role of the bidding process. I don't like monopolies, but I must acknowledge that the pinnacle of technological achievement is not reached without them. I'm still forming my opinions. I don't agree with everything you say, but it sure helps me to understand more than I knew before. I don't think anyone is for the elimination of free markets. At least I'm not. I've never read Marx, I just said what I felt was true based on my perception of human nature and the information I've been exposed to and you labeled it. I suppose there may be a lot of Marxist influence in media and that is where I got it.

All western systems are a mix of free market capitalism. And socialist stuff too like the safety net for disabled, out of work etc. The difference between most rich western countries is that they are predominantly free market capitalist economies with only big infrastrucure projects like roads, forces, fire, gov hand outs, school management etc and your local council etc.
The difference is that in a country like the UK or the US is that this balance is leaning towarsthe capitalist free market side. Mostly because your Liberal Democrats and Conservative parties are centre left, and centre right. Basically neither are extreme. So two sides of the same backside.

In countries like venuzuala they voted in an extreme socialist party. The end game of socialism is to centrally control everything, and basically they gave all the farms and factories to the workers to manage and that always works out the same way! They wend bankrupt. They also loove their equality. But instead of equality of opportunity that the free market low tax small government gives, they favour equality of outcome. So thety always tax the rich, tax business, and redistribute the wealth as well. That always results in those at the top having less money to invest in a better widget. A new factory. And they also suddenly cant pay their workers the new higher wages. Because that makes their product too expensive, So does old equipment. Not having enough development budget. Or the ability to build a more modern manufacturing plant. So what do they do to remain competitive? They get everything manufactured where the free market drives down the cost of production. Across the planet.

Even china where they starved 60 million, literally ate dead babies for protein, and all lived in abject poverty with short terrrible lives gave up on their socialist economy. The Communist government looked at the only place in china that was rich. Hong Kong run as a free market by the british. With no raw materials, no advantages at all other than the people own brains, the free market made them the richest place on that continent. So the communists held their noses, and allowed a small bit of china close to HK a fishing villiage and area to do what the rest of china wasnt allowed to do. They were allowed to make, sell, hire and fire and pay people and keep any profit they made.

That area grew as a manufacturing and business area and is called chenzen. Which I likely spelled wrong. So now 60 years later, after allowing the rest of china to do the same they are the 2nd richest country on the planet. The communist sanctioned businesses, and extremely low regulation, low taxation has created a wealthy advanced country and dragged a billion out of poverty as free market capitalist trade allways does. So now theres a massive wealth gap. China has loads of billionairs. And there are still SOME poor. But they vast majority live longer and healthier lives. The communist party are still totalitarian and still holding their noses and still allowing capitalism because it works.

Are you for the elimination of NHS? Should your doctor rent a storefront and hang out his shingle and start taking housecalls? Sounds nice. If you need an MRI, will you be billed for the purchase of the machine? What would the financial services market look like without government regulation? Even with regulation, they try to pull off every dirty trick they can. And the regulators are almost strictly former or current perpetrators.

If you understood how bad our socialist style health care really was you wouldnt need to ask that question.

Like all socialist structures its money (13k of every working person in the UK on average through direct and inderect taxes on everything from business to your pay packet, the food you buy, and everything else) buys you a completely broken system. I have not actually ever seen my doctor in the last 17 years. I cant actually call him either. I am met with a barrier of receptionists that try to arrange a time when he will call me back. A "triage" system. That hasnt happend on the several attempst I made.

A woman slipped on the ice and fell off her bike near my house, where my carer lives. She had a broken hip or something screaming in pain on a frozen road.
Martin got up, went to see what the screaming was all about. She was an old lady. It was raining. And below freezing. He was asked IS SHE BLUE AND NOT BREATHING? Because that was the requirement to get an ambulance inside 30 minutes. He was told that no ambulance could get there for at least 6 hours, probably 8. So they called here son in law. He turned up in an estate car/van or something. They managed to load here onto a sheet and load her into the vehicle laid on her back. When they arrived at the hospital 3 miles away there was 14 ambulances in a line outside. Which was why there was non free. Because the hospital wouldnt treat them untill a bed was free. This is not an isolated case. And 20 million people are on waiting lists for tratments, some for up to 8 years. I kid you not.

Why is this? Its NOT due to a lack of funding. Thats HUGE. Its because they are hopelessely ineficient and take weeks or months to do something that should take 15 minutes. They only care about pushing paper around, employing ever greater layers of management, and nobody ever makes a decision about anything without huge weekly or monthly "panel" meetings. You cant get a patient lift SLING (£30?) without calling 3 different number, waiting weeks for someone to actually call back, and then be assessed at uur home by OTs, physios, etc. 3 cars came to my house. Literally 3 unwanted new patient hoists they ordered incorrectly THAT I REALLY DIDNT WANT AND TOLD THEM SO later, it all went quiet. That took 6 months. They completely forgot about the sling which is why I called to begin with. I gave up and ordered one from eBay. That wasted 6 months, 3 paient hoists at 2K a pop, not to mention 3 peoples wages, computers, panel meetings, etc.

They are all completey incompetant. Why? Because they dont care about YOU. They get paid by helicopter mone sprinkled in at the top A patient is a nusance that disturbs they cofee, taking, sitting around etc. The Vet of cours respond because he wants my money.

So YES tak us 180 billion less, and let me pay far less for a real doctor that answers the phone. But I cant afford BOTH.

[slomobile]

https://www.reddit.com/r/memphis/commen ... st_index=1

MSCS is Memphis Shelby County Schools. My former workplace.

[Burgerman]

Belief in magic and other nonsense, and religious indoctrination (brainwashing) has no place in any school regardless of what that magic nonsense "belief" is. Even if it WAS an actual devil worship group, which it wasnt. Theres literally no difference between the usual god belief of devil worship. How would you determine which one was the "good" one anyway? What place do these religious "leaders" have in making ANY decisions regarding real education anyway?

Even in the UK the church or religious organisation still try to be in charge of schools if they can. (because traditionally they always did because its trivial to rewire a young plastic brain, making the conditioning very effective). But today the ones that still "run" some schools are no longer allowed any kind of actual indoctrination. And everythig is planned by the gov. They cant push their religion at all. They have to run a school as if their beliefs dont really exist. No indoctrination, and no specific religion either. Which they really dont like.

Even when I was at school, and I left in 75, we had just 1 lesson in religion per week. Religious Education. Not "instruction". I was forced to understand the various religions and beliefs around the world. Forced to read the bible and the koran, and a bits of various other religious texts. Not completely but a huge chunks of them. We were made to question all the vile things written and the masses of contraditions and discuss them in class. And to compare the histories of many older religions going back long before the bible and xstianity existed. The "modern" xstian bible is basically copied and stolen from much earlier religions anyway. Its the same things all cherry picked from older religions. Yet more nonsensical stories. As such this study of religion and the bible, did the exact opposite! It showed us all how it was just stolen, copied, violent, ignorant and morally backrups crazy nonsense. And that non of its "stories" even make any sense! Regardless of the actual religion. If anything ever made me athiest apart from the obvious logical reasoning, unsubstantiated rediculous claims and the fact that in the UK we no longer get brainwashed into this nonsense, then these religious books did. The more you read the more rediculous it is. And the more vile it is.

As it would do to anyone that actually read and questioned the frankly rediculous and evil stuff in them. This is why I know that xstians especially havent actually read their books. Because if they did and used the same rational logic that they would with any other claim, book, or religion then they would also be athiest. Because its all obvious garbage.

[slomobile]

2 new local business ventures

https://time.com/7021709/elon-musk-xai-grok-memphis/
In August, the utility company said that xAI would have access to 50 megawatts of power. But xAI wants to use triple that amount—which, for comparison, is enough energy to power 80,000 households.

https://theminermag.com/news/2024-09-17 ... -standard/
The power agreement allows Merkle Standard to draw up to 45 MW of power every half hour

Is local warming a thing?

This is what happens when it is too hot and people get squirrely.
https://wreg.com/news/several-schools-o ... by-county/

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/09/tech ... ation.html

[Burgerman]

What are you trying to tell us?
I dont get it.

[slomobile]

Our aquafir is dropping. The Mississippi is low. My well level has dropped 30ft. Swimming in lakes and streams is outlawed. Its too hot to go outside. Our power has been extremely unreliable by modern standards. Goes out at least once per month, several times most months. Overloaded by air conditioners in the summer, lines and poles taken out by icing and bad drivers in winter. Now we are getting one of the largest data centers on earth and a nuisance bitcoin mining operation that draws down our aquafir even lower for cooling and overstresses our power grid. Memphis has a long history of big companies moving in, draining the area of resources, leaving behind pollution, and getting out. Firestone, Bayer, Electrolux... Looks like that is happening again. I'm wondering if the massive heat generated by these plants, the aluminum refineries, the chemical plants, blacktop, etc will produce (or has produced) a local climate change. I know the heat dissipates to the rest of the world, but is that rate faster than it is being produced locally? Its already too hot all summer long. People get angry when it is too hot. We get elementary school shooting threats now. Local people make up conspiracy theories so outlandish they go viral. Its weird.
Thats what its like where I live. Just an update I guess.

[Burgerman]

All sounds a bit mental. No you cant make local climate change. At least not in the way you mean. You could draw enough water to lower the local water table. That stuff happens all over the planet. The solution is to legislate properly and to locate places that need water in suitable locations. Like on the coast or large rivers.

But no industry means no services, products, food, wealth, jobs, money, and cave man days and dead by 30.

As for mentalists and conspiracy theories thats mostly an american thing but happens most places to a degree too. As for shool shootings (and all shootings) thats something only you lot seem to think are a great idea. The rest of the world, excluding the third world, do see any need for civilians running around with hand guns and AK47s. And so dont have a tiny fraction of the shootings that you do. Schools or otherwise.