--- Bryon Daly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Kevin Tarr wrote: > > > Up front: I agree with you. > > > > Which Heinlein book was on the moon, for some part > anyway, and he set up an > > argument between the protagonist and a yocal about > the cost of air? I > > agreed 100% with what Heinlein wrote, but maybe I > should take a second look. > > I remember that argument - Heinlein introduced the > term "TANSTAAFL" - > There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch to make > that point. That was > something that really stuck with me after I read it, > probably 20 years ago.
And I agree with that in general - but part of the point of the article(s) was not only that clean water might be expensive, but that *after privitization the water supply was unsafe in some communities.* Water is such an essential resource for living that I think whoever supplies it, whether local government or private corporation, must be highly accountable and frequently subject to 'outside' inspection. And in the long run, I think it's cheaper from the government's POV[1] to use some tax money to supply clean water than to pay for mass epidemics of cholera, typhoid, etc. -- although I don't think that some governing bodies realize this. [1] Both economically (drugs, medical workers, lost work because of the ill, etc.) and politically (broadcast TV pix of suffering and dying children is *very* costly) Debbi who nevertheless finds green golf courses, alligator farms and rice fields in the desert obscene (speaking from a USAan perspective, because we have areas in the nation that can support the above enterprises without any need for tapping aquifers) __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
