Why commas are important, as demonstrated by my Catskills buddy. ๐๐๐ 
Btw, the history of Fire Departments in New York City as well as New York State is a well documented old lesson on the dangers of letting laissez-faire or free markets run essential public services.
Firefighting in NY started off as a private good, not a public one. Went badly.
Firefighting in NY started off as a private good, not a public one. Went badly.
All these privatization worshipping libertarians (which I too was in my 20s) in India won't tell you that firefighting was a subscription service until a century or so ago in NYC, the mecca of capitalism. "Competition" was supposed to guarantee efficiency. In fire fighting.
If you've wondered why so many fire dept buildings in NY have names of so and so company, that is what they were.
Just like you hire someone to take care of your lawn or your plumbing, in the early days of the US experiment, you had to hire one of many fire fighting "companies".
Just like you hire someone to take care of your lawn or your plumbing, in the early days of the US experiment, you had to hire one of many fire fighting "companies".
You can guess why that is ancient history now.
When profit & market share are the main motives, that's what will dictate outcomes. If someone's house caught fire, a competing company's truck would show up trying to sell their services. Firemen from competing companies would feud
When profit & market share are the main motives, that's what will dictate outcomes. If someone's house caught fire, a competing company's truck would show up trying to sell their services. Firemen from competing companies would feud
It was around 1900 or so that Americans realized, yeah, this isn't working. It was something like a dystopian scene. Plus neighbors having contracts with competing fire companies made things worse.
Fire departments got taken over by local governments. FDNY was formed.
Fire departments got taken over by local governments. FDNY was formed.
Can you imagine a 9/11 where FDNY guys, instead of rushing up the towers selflessly and saving thousands, stood around the twin towers trying to figure out who has the contract to rescue Cantor folks and who has the contract to rescue others?
But that *was* NY's libertarian past
But that *was* NY's libertarian past
One of the biggest lies told by the American libertarian movement is that "TRUE" laissez-faire or free market has never really been tried.
When that was the 1800s. So many stories of market failure and crony capitalism. US progressive movement in early 1900s was the response.
When that was the 1800s. So many stories of market failure and crony capitalism. US progressive movement in early 1900s was the response.
Be it firefighting or mining or manufacturing or policing or nature conservation or labor practices or even public transport and railroad building, America in 1800s was exactly what libertarians want to make it again. In the 21st century. Completely ignoring those disasters.
Today of course, firefighting in the US is a public good, paid for by our taxes. Whether it is a big city run department like FDNY or volunteer companies in rural areas, there is no "competition". Because competing over who can make most money fighting fire turned out to be bad.
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