Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Free Lunch- Discuss.

Recent posts over on Enjoy Every Sandwich and the This Week debate with George "McSmarty" Stephanopoulos have me thinking about the proverbial free lunch.

What should be free? And of course, is anything every really free?
TV?
Radio?
Libraries?
Broadband, high speed Internet access?
Web space to blog?
Phone Service?
Universal Health Care?
Clean, drinking water? ... even at a bar?

Discuss.

6 comments:

waltzeswithdogs said...

CD2E - Wondering where you got the rocks for your backyard remodel. the project looks great by the way.

Anonymous said...

The cost of all public goods should be spread among all people who benefit from the good (ie the public). Clean drinking water, health care, basic methods of communication . . . I classify these as public goods. In the US, we have created a system of taxation to share those costs among the public. I would offer that our tax dollars are better spent on public goods than private wars. Thats my 2 cents. (See dad, my policial theory degree was not totally wasted.)

Now, on drinking water at a bar. So long as the patron is tipping, the water should be free. It is a place of business after all.

InfoChef said...

Speaking of free,
apparently my TV will continue to be so after 2009, thanks to Congress:

From the CNET article linked (sort of) over at EES......"The final legislation includes up to $990 million for a government subsidy program under which eligible households would be able to apply for up to two $40 vouchers to use toward buying digital-to-analog set-top converter boxes. According to industry estimates, those devices will likely cost between $50 and $60 by 2009."

Anonymous said...

Love the democrats recognizing that us privileged white girls get some subsidizes too. I’m going to need a converter that I clearly cannot afford. I’m also going to add renewable energy to the “public good” list that needs some subsidization from the government. Again, private wars could be de-funded if we could simply plug our damned cars into the grid. When are they going to do that, eh?

rebeckspe said...

No free coffee: http://rebeckspe.blogspot.com/2007/08/no-such-thing-as-free-coffee.html

codown2earth said...

For Waltzes with Dogs-

http://renegadecrafters.blogspot.com/2007/04/yard-project-resources.html

http://www.ainsworthrocksales.com/index.html