Guccifer casts out Hillary

[kandrathe]

That is why there is such a huge demand for clean water and electricity in the 3rd world, but little supply of it - because it isn't PROFITABLE to supply those things there. There are almost as many empty houses in the United States as there there is homeless people. This is a real-world description of how the capitalist system ACTUALLY works at its core, regardless of whatever idealized version you have of it.

If it concerns you so much, why don't you help kickstart a donation for third world nations that need this type of stuff? There are plenty of multi-billionaires who donate millions of dollars to [read] real charities where money does reach those in need. The Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation for example.

Yeah, don't fall for the "See, it's broken by Capitalism" argument. It is no more valid than analyzing the Soviet Union, and saying "See, it's broken by Communism". I'd say that in a perfect world, without the failings of people, which you outline, a command economy might be possible. Yet, it will never be as efficient as a free market economy driven by supply and demand, which determines the fair market price. Even the issues in the boom/bust cycles of a Free Market Economy, have to do with the failings of people in attempting to manipulate the economy.

You have to ask "Why is electricity and water in short supply in parts of the world?" According to that link; 1) tariffs prohibit the export of power 2) fossil fuels are the largest source of generation, and also the most expensive, 3) low demand for power

"Coupled with low tariffs, the low demand for electricity does not permit utility companies to generate a good return on their investment. " So there it is -- countries are too poor to provide public subsidies for power consumption, and there is little profit motive to encourage private development. Without demand there is little desire to increase the supply.

There are other known issues such as the inability to maintain/sustain their infrastructure. Nigeria has about 7000MW of generation capacity, with about 4600MW available, and producing only 3800MW of power. It is a very inefficient use of this resource, resulting in a higher cost per MW generated. Civil war and conflict also results in destruction and looting of the infrastructure. We can swoop in and build more supply, but someone needs to buy the energy at a price sufficient to maintain the infrastructure.


International Energy Agency - Africa Energy Outlook

"Unreliable power supply has been identified by African enterprises as the most pressing obstacle to the growth of their businesses, ahead of access to finance, red tape or corruption. Relieving this uncertainty helps every dollar of additional power sector investment in the African Century Case to boost GDP by an estimated $15. "

In this case, it seems the heartless bastards keeping Africa in the dark relates more to poor governance.

As far as the foil, "There are almost as many empty houses in the United States as there there is homeless people." Which is true in the aggregate. Many foreclosed homes are unoccupied and not for sale... yet. They are being prepared for re-sale by the owners. Another issue is the local supply and demand for housing... There is a 19% vacancy rate in Detroit, but not many people flocking to live in one of the most economically broken places in the US.

But, again, why are people homeless? 1) 1/3rd suffer from mental illness, physical disabilities, or substance abuse issues. 2) Housing/Rental supply is low driving prices higher than the low wages. 3) Lack of employment opportunities - lack of market skills 4) domestic violence -- 3/5ths of homeless women are fleeing domestic violence.

#1 and #4 are social issues that "the market" will not address, and must be resolved through social services. #2 and #3 are market driven, which our government has failed to address, or has worked against the interests of the poor and homeless. Again, this criticism of Capitalism denies the existence of social services to relieve the suffering of the poor. In the US, as well as EU nations, the "normal" system is Capitalistic, with a social safety net. Homelessness, hunger, and lack of access to health care for that matter are a failing of the social safety net, and not the free market system. Ah, then the argument goes back to taxation rates. In 2014, only 11 percent of the US federal budget was devoted to programs for the poor. So, again, it's a governance issue, maybe also the corrupting force of money in politics, but not a failing of the Capitalist system.