It's stlll a pig

This business of utilities, as promoted here by Michael Lind, is just another version of socialism, creeping socialism maybe, but socialism nevertheless.  Lind argues for a regulated utilities approach to healthcare and the financial industry on the grounds competition simply doesn't work in these activities.  His healthcare example that someone suffering a heart attack can hardly be expected to "shop" for the best price among various hospital offerings.  It appears his argument for financial regulation has to do with credit being too important for the lifeblood of business to be left to the free market, that fixing cost of capital, etc, would assure no small business goes without.  Wonder what planet this guy is from.  He basically slams deregulation and yet we just experienced a quarter of century of the most dynamic expansion ever largely because we deregulated the financial industry and the airlines industry, etc.  Does he not remember the stagflation of the "70's and the deregulation under Carter that began the creation of a more competitive free market for all kinds of goods and services?  Doesn't this guy understand that the government clogs the system, petrifies innovation, suppresses freedom of entrepreneurs to do their thing an get the economy going?   .  I particularly liked this passage from Lind:

"Liberals believe that some goods and services could be provided in a purely competitive market but should not be. Instead, these goods and services should be provided to citizens by an industry organized as a publicly regulated utility, which in the terms of ownership can be private, public or a mixed private-public enterprise."  


Sorta like Fannie and Freddie, or maybe TVA (which provides electricity to rural Tennessee for about double private companies), or the post office maybe?  Get real! If is the best "progressives" can do then they really ought to start over, or maybe read Adam Smith.  Back to the books for this guy.