<The Myth of Election Year Price Manipulation The Oil Drum DrumBeat: October 9, 2008>

111 comments on How Much Nationalization Is Appropriate?

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dtbks on October 8, 2008 - 12:28pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I'll tell you what question boggles my mind NeverLNG: Let's forget about banks and stuff like that for a minute and take a commodity like, say, water. How is it possible that collectively, people would allow water to be "owned" by a single person, and then pay money to that person in order to have access to that self-same water? Why would anyone allow water to be controlled by a corporation whose sole purpose is to make a profit? That boggles my mind completely.

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NeverLNG on October 8, 2008 - 1:05pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I think "the people" don't allow it in the sense that they "vote" for it. Because of a corrupt system, they elect "leaders" who pass laws making common resources (The Columbia River, say) into a commodity that they can buy and sell -- and they (those "leaders") sell the River to the highest bidder-- and the bidders are all working with each other in a rigged auction.

Then the people, who didn't really get the money anyway, have to buy it back.

The system is so well tested and perfected -- English "inclosure laws" were very effective, and it the pirates' techniques have improved greatly since then. Maude Barlow: The Growing Battle for the Right to Water

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Autodidact on October 8, 2008 - 11:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Don't know where you live, dtbks, but here in the arid west water is a scarce commodity and the rights to it are defended to the death. AFAIK, we can't even collect rainwater in a barrel because that water has already been claimed. Talk about mind-boggling.....

http://www.blm.gov/nstc/WaterLaws/colorado.html

http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/7/the-cistern-conundrum_397.cfm

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111 comments on How Much Nationalization Is Appropriate?

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