Nationalise the railways!

[MadImmortalMan]

He and John Kerry were on Cheers once together. 

[Tamas]

The thing is with being perfectly fine with operating at a loss is that, again, it is the perfect environment for corruption.

Accepting that operating some of these at a loss is inevitable is one thing. Not even trying to minimise being in the red is an other.

In related news, the Hungarian government has sort of announced that they would nationalise utility services and basically sell their services not just to individuals at a loss (as the service companies are pretty much doing nowadays due to state-enforced prices), but to companies as well, to help growth.
I understand this is considered a good thing then?

[Zanza]

Why do you think that your experience with the role of the Hungarian state in the economy is applicable to other countries/contexts? Wouldn't it make more sense to evaluate every measure on its own merits depending on the context?

It may or may not make sense to nationalize utilities in Hungary, but I am sure the criteria for that are different than deciding whether it makes sense to nationalize utilities in Hong Kong or Haiti or Honduras.

[Tamas]

Why do you think that your experience with the role of the Hungarian state in the economy is applicable to other countries/contexts? Wouldn't it make more sense to evaluate every measure on its own merits depending on the context?

It may or may not make sense to nationalize utilities in Hungary, but I am sure the criteria for that are different than deciding whether it makes sense to nationalize utilities in Hong Kong or Haiti or Honduras.

I meant the idea of selling energy below break-even to companies, via state-owned energy companies.

[Admiral Yi]

Not a good idea.  There are no positive externalities with electricity consumption.

[crazy canuck]

Accepting that operating some of these at a loss is inevitable is one thing. Not even trying to minimise being in the red is an other.

Are you suggesting that public transport authorities are "not even trying to minimise being in the red"?

[Tamas]

Accepting that operating some of these at a loss is inevitable is one thing. Not even trying to minimise being in the red is an other.

Are you suggesting that public transport authorities are "not even trying to minimise being in the red"?

No, as I do not know how each one works. Hungarian ones ramp up some totally insane amount of debt, but as it has been established here, it is due to Hungary's untermensch status.

I actually meant that some posters genuinely seem to think that taxpayer cost of a transport system is an irrelevant side detail.

[crazy canuck]

I actually meant that some posters genuinely seem to think that taxpayer cost of a transport system is an irrelevant side detail.

I am not sure who that might be.  The point being made is that the cost of transportation systems requires the participation of the taxpayor.

[derspiess]

Ugh.

What?  He's cool.

[Ancient Demon]

It's either school-kids or the elderly, both of whom get free bus passes.

I don't like this trend of old people getting things for free just for having lived a long time. In most of Canada they get something like a 25% discount on bus passes and that's bad enough. Completely free is ridiculous.

[Caliga]

Ugh.

What?  He's cool.

*shrug* He is, what can I say?  He was  a professor at Northeastern while I was there, and then when I was at BIDMC he used to come in and visit the CEO all the time (the then-CEO led the Boston Harbor cleanup project when Dukakis was governor).

He would have been a terrible President, but he's a nice guy.

[Caliga]

I don't like this trend of old people getting things for free just for having lived a long time. In most of Canada they get something like a 25% discount on bus passes and that's bad enough. Completely free is ridiculous.

Dude, tell me about it.  Today I went to Wendy's for lunch and this old bag came in with a less-old bag and kept shouting to her "MAKE SURE THEY RING IT UP AS A SENIOR DRINK!" while less oldy ordered.  Then she wasted more of the cashier's time by showing an old receipt from like six months ago where she wasn't charged for a senior drink and demanding a refund.   Meanwhile people who are actually in a hurry were standing around waiting...

[Admiral Yi]

It's totally different when profit maximizers do it vs. the gubmint doing it.

[Caliga]

I know, but any opening at all where I can attack the elderly I shall take it.

[MadImmortalMan]

grumbler pays full price for his coffee and doesn't complain. He's chill like that.