The Irish Government will begin charge people for water at 2012 to get more international income to support the economic growth of Ireland.What are your opinions on this news?

How are they integrating this program exactly? Are they basing the costs on usage, or are they basing it on a set rate based on family size?

We got to pay hydro bills, and I don't mind personally as it helps maintain the water works of my home, and extra money goes into helping the community grow a bit more, which works well with my socialist way of thinking.

i didnt even know water was free in Ireland, I think its a good idea as water is obviously an essential good that people need to pay for which really would help the Irish economy, as long as they dont price the water too high

warmaker : whereas im the opposite,i think vital things like water should be government owned.

Well,ireland definitely need to fill there coffers like now

thenumberone : Why?  I can name you a lot of services provided here (United States) that are government run and are terrible.  Ask anyone standing in line for a driver's license, permits, VA services, or Medicare.  The government has to do some things but privatizing most services is a way to improve speed, lower cost, improve quality, and keep things competitive.

It's capitalism 101.  When you have four different companies competing to provide a service, they'll work hard for your business.  When the government has no competition, it doesn't matter how it goes about the business.

warmaker : i wouldnt have a problem with driving licenses etc being private,thats not a necesity.
Im aware there is a lack of drive when governments run things,thats why i dont think most stuff should be government run.water is a necesity.through it you are in control of peoples lives.it needs to be guaranteed to remain at low prices and consistan charges,companys arent certain to do that as they only care for money.under government such vital things would ruin there power if they failed so greater emphasis is put on maintaining it to a high standard.
Same for oil and banking,theyre vital and private,they can do what they want because of this,and they prices and quality fluctuate far too much.
I remember you posted on capitalism:a love story, thread.my point about the juvenile detention centre?the government gave control to a private company who began arresting innocent people to maximise profits.
And say a company gains a monopoly on water supply?they can do what they want,charge what they want.
Certain areas are too powerfull for privitisation.

thenumberone : I can understand your concern.  If one company owns everything, that can be bad news and they can charge whatever they want.

Here's where capitalism comes in.  Every service, water, electrical, etc, is competition by several companies.  There are multiple companies you can buy your food from.  You can get gas from different gas stations.  You can have various things provided by different businesses.  Each business wants to continue doing business and the best thing is by keeping things inexpensive and doing them well.  That is how businesses succeed.  If I buy my water in my house from Company A, and they are more expensive and less safe than Company B, I switch to Company B.  I have that option.

The government has no competition.  You say they do things in the best interest of their people.  Government does things to keep itself reelected, at least in the U.S.  They look out for their bottom line and money just like businesses do, except they are the only ones doing business.

Government is a monopoly and no one watches it because you assume it is doing things in the best interest of you.  It isn't.

Private businesses are looking for profit, yes.  You're right about that.  But in doing so, they provide better for cheaper to more.  They beat gov't all the time.

warmaker : To my knowledge, water is controlled by local governments in all states where water is controlled at all, which means that you are paying the government for you water right now unless you have a well. I never had a problem with my municipal water supply when I had it, unless a pipe broke, and they were very fast to fix those.

I don't see this as a bad thing for Ireland, though I wonder if they are going to implement it on the local or national level (I assume local). Generally it is charged on usage here in the United States and I think it makes sense to pay for what you use. It also encourages you to fix any leaks you might have and to conserve a bit more.

warmaker : it isnt cheaper if its private,the goods used for things are passed along multiple companys and taxed at each stage.each stage also makes a profit.thus by the end the price is substantialy higher.They have independent reviewers in the uk,they are not government members and there job is to find faults with buissineses,even government run ones.they are always monitored.all details are made public.yes officials wana stay in power,and as i say if they fail at there responsobilities thats unlikely.Gas is not much cheaper between companys because they all work together to maximise profits,the companys make an astronomical amount of profit.

Honestly this doesn't bother me because where I live, water is one of our bills.

Elara : Correct.  Our water is supplied by the local water board.

thenumberone : I understand what you're saying.  The government does serve the purpose to make sure companies aren't in collusion for price fixing.  But you have different kinds of markets which are dependent on the cost of goods.  Gas, for example, is determined by demand.  As people demand more, gas goes up.  This isn't companies colluding; this is the actual cost of fuel.

Look at Wal-Mart.  They're popular because they provide super-inexpensive goods and they stretch the dollar for most people.  Name me one government institute that does business as inexpensively as Wal-Mart.

Econ 101: Competition makes things cheaper and better for consumers.  Multiple companies fighting for money and business make things more efficient and less expensive for us.  When we have no competition, there is no reason for the gov't to do things better, except threat of recall.  The multiple party system is the only thing that can affect what happens with us.  Otherwise there is no incentive for gov't to do things better.

If government does things cheaper and better, how come government-controlled industries have failed around the world and the best industries are capitalists?  Capitalism is the worst form of economics, but it's better than all the rest.

warmaker : the goverment certahnly couldnt provie food as cheap as walmart but there are two reasons walmart is cheap.
1,they buy in huge bulk.
2,typialy they buy there stuff at the cheapest possible price,regardless of what it means for the seller.
Aditionaly food sales is not something i would say should be gov. run.
The bus system in edinburgh is pretty damn good and its owned by the local council.
Where the goal is about maximising profit,privitisatioan is usefull,but certain things shouldnt be abov maximum profit,e.g water.

This is ridiculous if I use anything I use water I drink it, I shower with it I occasionally bathe in it