freediver wrote on Jun 5
th, 2022 at 5:36pm:
Are you suggesting the two are the same?
Essential services and essential goods? Yes, but treated differently.
I'm suggesting
essential services like education, health care, energy and public infrastructure should always remain in public hands (eg, no toll roads) , to avoid market failure in the delivery of these essential services (which we are currently witnessing in the latest Oz market gas-price debacle).
Whereas
essential "goods" like housing and food which are best
provisioned by the private sector in private sector markets***, need only be
subsidized - for a section of the population only - by government when neoliberal NAIRU market failure leaves the most disadvantaged homeless or hungry.
***food and housing are mostly produced by small businesses unable to determine market outcomes, gas is produced by big business able to determine global market pricing.
Quote:Do you think food production should be derivatised because it is essential?
Addressed above.