Quote:
Originally Posted by Seaver
The ONLY way to do with is with strict government regulation. Ace you know I'm not a left-leaning person, but the great conservative thinkers (Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower) all believed that the only way to have an effective and un-rigged capitalist system is by strict regulation.
Water companies would have NO incentive to keep prices reasonable. They have a captive audience who can't simply reduce the amount they drink. They can't stop bathing for public heath and social acceptance reasons.
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On this topic we just touch a small part of much broader questions. I realize "reasonable" is vague, and contrary to what same may write about me, I am some what a moderate on many issues - hence I balance the morality of the question with the free market components of the question.
I think it would be immoral for a owner of a water resource to unreasonably withhold water from people who may need it - but I also believe the owner should be compensated. I would fear that short of this type of a compromise the only other resolution would be a violent one. If my family was being unreasonably deprived of water, I would not let them die without a fight.
On another level, property rights, in my view, only exist to the degree that they can be defended, either by force or rule of law. In either case a wise owner of water resources should act accordingly.