ch: Are you under the impression that the state can't regulate private companies?
...to howls of "Socialism!" and much chest beating and wailing from the right.
Yes, I do blame the stupid politicians who though turning utility customers over to the tender mercies of a for-profit corporation was a good idea.
ch: The point of that was to display the error in your third world comparisons. Nigeria sucks at it because it is complicated.
Well, first of all, the problem is that this wasn't a matter of an inexperienced Third World country using some penny-ante local private water company on its own initiative. South Africa was sold a very aggressive bill of goods by the World Trade Organization, and the company involved was a very sophisticated multi-national based in the first world -- not the third.
Second, I cited the South African case in response to what seemed your rather weird premise that mercy sakes, people just wouldn't DO icky things like that for profit! The answer is, of course they would, given the chance. They'd do it in Africa, in Europe, in the Americas if they could get away with it.
And if you imagine nobody would wreck people's water system for profit -- right here in the USA -- you plainly haven't been following the issues surrounding Fracking.
no subject
...to howls of "Socialism!" and much chest beating and wailing from the right.
Yes, I do blame the stupid politicians who though turning utility customers over to the tender mercies of a for-profit corporation was a good idea.
ch: The point of that was to display the error in your third world comparisons. Nigeria sucks at it because it is complicated.
Well, first of all, the problem is that this wasn't a matter of an inexperienced Third World country using some penny-ante local private water company on its own initiative. South Africa was sold a very aggressive bill of goods by the World Trade Organization, and the company involved was a very sophisticated multi-national based in the first world -- not the third.
Second, I cited the South African case in response to what seemed your rather weird premise that mercy sakes, people just wouldn't DO icky things like that for profit! The answer is, of course they would, given the chance. They'd do it in Africa, in Europe, in the Americas if they could get away with it.
And if you imagine nobody would wreck people's water system for profit -- right here in the USA -- you plainly haven't been following the issues surrounding Fracking.