Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : Booms, Busts, and Recoveries -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lazarus_Long who wrote (58173)	1/3/2005 5:12:13 PM
From: Maurice Winn	Respond to of 74559

<//ensuring high value trips have priority// Is THAT what it does? Really? Or does it ensure that Donald Trump can truck his yacht regardless of the toll, whereas your local red cross may not be able to afford to move blood supplies?> Lazarus, this is obviously going to be hard work as you seem to have an ideological position and my lifelong experience of reasoning with ideologues is that they cannot reason. But, hope over experience, I'll give a gentle attempt. Yes, high value trips. Donald Trump and Tony next door can both get on the bridge with their boat in tow and join the jam now. But with a toll, Tony would wait until the rush cleared, leaving the bridge clear for Donald and the blood supplies. Donald can afford the fee, and the people needing the blood will pay too, as will normal commercial enterprises. The rest of us will wait until the trip is free or low cost when the crowd has cleared. You might think Donald's trip isn't high value, but the definition of high value is how much people are prepared to pay. In a free world, the people with the money decide for themselves what is valuable to do. In a repressive world, some self-important bossy-britches tells people what is important and uses other people's money to do what they like. <//Me paying for a road I've built, via the state, is fine.// You're going to pay for that state structure, one way or another. What we're talking about is continuing to pay the cost of construction after it has already been paid. > Suppose the bridge was funded via loans, then the loans need repayment even though the bridge is built. Or do you mean the bridge-builders should borrow money then refuse to pay back the loan? You have missed the main point that those who haven't contributed to construction costs should pay to use it. What's your point about Globalstar? Yes, it was bankrupt. Now it's in business selling phones and service. I don't see why the company should give away phones and minutes just because the system has been built. I say charge to use it. Most people understand that charging for goods and services is a normal thing to do. Some people think everything in the world should be free. Those people are confused and ignorant. <What good is a bridge with tolls so high no one will use it? In theory- -if anyone ever used it- -you coulds make lots of money. In practice you can't. > Where did you get the idea that tolls should be so high that nobody would use it? Tauranga and Auckland harbour bridges for example were extremely busy and raking in mountains of money. The tolls were stopped and hopeless jams resulted. Now no money is made, no bridges are being built to increase capacity and people waste millions of hours sitting in jams burning fuel, wearing out their engines and polluting the air. You think that's a good idea? If you don't get that, I give up. Mqurice PS: Hmmmm, I see: <PeopleMarks 67 Ignored by 54 Threads Banned from 32 >