Doug Ford hat die Tür zur Privatisierung unseres Wassers geöffnet. Die Geschichte zeigt, wie dies die öffentliche Gesundheit gefährden kann
Doug Ford hat die Tür zur Privatisierung unseres Wassers geöffnet. Die Geschichte zeigt, wie dies die öffentliche Gesundheit gefährden kann
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It feels so fucking bleak living through a second wave of Neoliberalism fervor and seeing these wolves in sheep’s clothing strip our institutions for the copper wiring. It’s hard not to feel cynical and like we’re entering the same trap the Americans are in where they have 2 choices: makes thing a lot worse very fast, or make things worse more slowly over time (and be castigated and shamed into voting for this in the name of ‚harm reduction with it never being the right time to critique the choices‘).
We know how this ends: not well. Most of the country’s problems today stem from Mulrooney/Martin/Chretien taking a hatchet to our public assets, services and institutions. I don’t know if they’re just delusional for thinking it’ll work this time, or delusional for thinking it did work last time.
Walkerton was caused by a public water utility, not a private one. Plenty of private utilities are regulated to ensure public safety and competition. This is just aesthetic socialism: people like public ownership for its own sake regardless of cost or public benefit.
All water management problems ultimately stem from public management. Instead of being priced at a level that discourages overconsumption, it is underpriced or politically favourable groups get preferential access. The solution is to sell water at a price that reflects the actual cost to society. One way of doing that is thorough privatization.
The only downside the article identifies is that private investors will supposedly benefit by making very high returns, but this assumption is unfounded. The rate of return will depend on the price. A higher rate of return is only possible if the price is low.
We don’t what the price will be. But there has to be some price at which it would be a good deal. If we don’t know the price yet, we can’t say whether it will be a good deal.
Normally, when such a privatization happens, the shares are sold at public auction, which means the Ontario government will get the fair market price. Anyone who thinks the price is too low will be free to buy those shares. But we can expect the price to be similar to any other investment with an equivalent risk-adjusted return.
It’s been disturbing to me to see how many people support privatization of anything and everything no matter what it is around here. I truly can’t wrap my mind around why so many people who will only suffer from it support it so whole heartedly.