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Who Will Pipe Food to the Fridges?

by Scott Swain

[Alternate reality where City governments provide food directly to refrigerators via pipes, just like water]
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Biff: "Get rid of government?! Are you crazy? There are too many things government does much better than the private sector."

Sue: "Oh? Like what?"

Biff: "Take food, for example. We have this really excellent system of food being piped into our refrigerators. Are you suggesting we privatize food distribution?"

Sue: "Yes, I am."

Biff: "That is insane! Right now food is mostly safe, priced okay-"

Sue: "Three flavors of protein goo-"

Biff: "Yep! And can you tell me how competing companies could pipe three different flavors of nutrient-injected protein goo to our fridges when there is only one set of pipes? Whoever builds the pipes would become a monopoly and be in control of our food supply!"

Sue: "Uhm-"

Biff: "Don't take this wrong but aren't you a bit naive to think anyone could match the government's planning capability in supplying food to so many people in a mostly safe manner?"

Sue: "But what if I want a fourth goo flavor? Quality and variety would rise while prices drop if we had companies competing to provide food-"

Biff: [Aghast] "You would trust greedy for-profit corporations to supply your food?! Pretty quickly one corporation would gain a monopoly on all food distribution. Then they are free to over-charge us for only two flavors of goo! I'm sorry it isn't obvious to you that there really is no better and more fair way than what we have now. Where have you ever seen it done different?"


Someone was confused by this story and asked, "Government doesn't pipe food into my fridge. I do get my food from competing companies. I don't understand this story."


Right now most of us get water and electricity piped to our houses. When someone says we can privatize that system, the Statist will often argue that there is no better way than a centralized involuntary monopoly (government) doing the piping. I'm making a point that (a) there are always other ways to get it done; and (b) look at how food has [almost] always been done in one of those other ways without government control or [much] interference. That said, the level of government interference has increased year by year.

But the real point is just to show that private competing companies have done a pretty good job and no one grocery store or farm has become a monopoly... yet... until... look out because here comes Monsanto, which will actually prove my point because they are a growing real monopoly, as in obtaining that exclusivity via government assistance.
While we are at it, here is a great article to answer the ever popular, "Who will build the roads?"
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