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To: yard_man who wrote (103062)	5/17/2001 6:05:02 PM
From: flatsville	Respond to of 436258

Thnxs yet again.

To: yard_man who wrote (103062)	5/17/2001 6:46:31 PM
From: LLCF	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

<Not being the root cause is certainly correct, but that doesn't mean they don't take advantage when they see it either, DAK. Remmember this advantage was gained through the de-regulation (read "re-regulation") process.> Yes, and certainly part of deregulation is bring in entities hoping to profit... never said that wasn't happening. If the rest of your post is asserting that deregulation of the power industry won't/can't work, I disagree strongly that that is indeed a fact. DAK

To: yard_man who wrote (103062)	5/18/2001 4:26:32 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 436258

With respect to the underinvestment in infrastructure during regulation, I think what DAK was talking about specifically was California. It seems clear, with 20-20 hindsight, that insufficient generation facilities were built before "deregulation" - and certainly afterwards. The part of the equation that doesn't seem to get enough attention is the fact that no one is going to risk capital without some assurance of return. The greater the risk, the greater the return. That's the way it works. Otherwise, you just do something else with your money. Call it greed, call it evil, say what you want until you're blue in the face, that's the way it works. Period. Providing electricity, the way you describe it, is a risky transaction. It has to be provided at the same price to everyone, no matter where they live - on top of a mountain, whatever. People expect the company to do whatever it takes to make sure it's always available. Repair crews available 24/7. Spare parts available 24/7 in inventory, which is overhead. Not only that, but it has to be as cheap as possible, so poor people and sick people can get as much as they want or need. Without some guarantee of return, nobody is going to sign on for that. Capitalists may be greedy and evil, but they aren't stupid. There's a reason that Ayn Rand is popular with capitalists. If you ever read Atlas Shrugged, maybe you'll understand how it feels to be the one who works 12-16-20 hours a day, every day, for years, with no expectation of immediate reward, no one giving you a paycheck, striving to make a business work, building it from nothing, giving it your life's blood. Sure, making a go of it is its own reward, but the real reward is money. People who work for a paycheck don't really understand. People who take it away from you after you did all the work are truly evil. Parasites. Bloodsuckers. You do without, and without, and without, because you have a goal. Maybe you'll win, maybe you'll lose, but without hope of achieveing that goal, you won't strive. It's not worth it. Better to walk away. Saints sacrifice themselves for the good of mankind. Capitalists do it to get rich. Never confuse the two. Saints don't build industries. Capitalists do. Take away the reward, and the effort will not be made. Period.